REVENGE
by COMETS
Summary: Bart's powers have been stolen and he's wanted. It's up to Clark to protect Bart and everyone he loves. Plus, is Chloe falling for Bart instead of Clark? Chloe finds Bart's secret. UPDATE: Chloe has been kidnapped and only Clark and Bart can save her
1. Prolugue

**PROLUGUE**

Bart Allen groaned as he crawled slowly out in to the street. Rain splattered against his torn, bloody red DENIM jacket. The only light that reached him was from this old, ugly warehouse. How he hated this place. He turned to look. Phillip was coming slowly towards him, still holding the huge axe. He concentrated on crawling faster. He knew he would die. He just had to try to move. Please, Please.

Phillip laughed, "It's over, Bart. Don't you realize? You're gone, and Clark's not here to save you." Phillip suddenly appeared in front of him. "Clark's dead." He said happily.

He raised the axe over his head. "See you in hell!" He said. He smiled evilly in to Bart's swollen, bloody face. Bart looked up, his face shining of dignity. Phillip brought the axe down with tremendous force and Bart faded in to darkness.

**

* * *

**

**SOME TIME BEFORE **

"Please, Please, Please let me be on time." Clark Kent prayed as he super sped his way to his parent's farm in Kansas. He was just coming back from a visit with his best friend Pete Ross who had just a year ago moved with his Mom to Wichita. Clark did this often and often has to worry about being caught by Ms. Ross. Hey, who would want to go to Wichita on an expensive plane trip when they could get there in like, twenty minutes?

Even with his super speed, Clark was afraid he wouldn't get home on time. It was his Mom and Dad's anniversary and they would be awake any minute. It was 9:00 in the morning. Normally Jonathon and Martha would be up at this time, but c'mon, it was their anniversary, so Clark had volunteered to do the chores. He had been done in a few minutes and had decided to go visit Pete. Thankfully, with his sharp senses, he would always know whenMs. Rosscame home. How could he explain to her how he had got there?

As Clark sped across the country, He looked at the beautiful scenery of the states. He marveled at how beautiful everything was. It wasn't as if he hadn't gone through before. He had recently seen Washington, Chicago, L.A, and a whole number of other states, but he never ceased to marvel. He looked around as things around him seemed not to be moving. People in mid-step, cars in mid-drive, Nothing. Everything was like at a virtual speed.

For not the first time, he marvelled at his speed. He was getting faster day by day. Soon, he might be able to take Bart Allen. Bart Allen was someone he had met recently. Though they had met in less than normal terms, Clark had learned that Bart had the power of speed. Speed even greater than his! Bart could run over water. Clark had recently been practicing this, though with little success.

Clark shrugged of the thoughts. Soon, he saw the familiar SMALLVILLE sign. He smiled happily. He was almost home. He zoomed down the street. He saw something that caught his eyesight. The Talon. Clark super sped in to an alley and turned back to normal speed. He slowed down. He could stop for a sip of coffee. But even he knew he wasn't stopping for coffee. He entered slowly, not at all tired.

Inside, was the familiar face of his crush, Lana Lang, a beautiful, raven haired girl with a graceful, slender figure and a smile that could light up the sky. She was already serving a customer. When she had given a small smile and finished, she turned to him. She smiled awkwardly.

"Hey, Clark." She said.

"Hi, Lana." He stuck his hands in his pockets. She studied him. Dressed in his usual flannel blue shirt and jeans. A red jacket was draped around his muscular shoulders and barely concealed his muscle bound, amazingly tall frame. He smiled that beautiful smile often referred to as the Kent charm around Smallville High's girls.

"The usual?" She asked. He wasn't paying attention. He was looking at the tall, blonde man coming down the stairs. He swallowed, but Lana already saw a tiny bit of embarrassment in those beautiful bluish, greenish eyes.

"Hey, Clark." Jason Teague said. He put his arm around Lana and kissed her on the cheek. "Hey, baby." He said to her. She smiled, a little flustered. Clark looked down at his worn, red sneakers.

"Hi, Jason." He muttered sullenly. He had been hoping his football coach would be somewhere else. Somewhere far away.

"Anything wrong, Clark?" Jason asked, pulling Lana closer to him. Of course something was wrong, he thought to himself. This little bastard was trying to steal his girlfriend. He sure as hell wasn't gonna let that happen.

Clark cleared his throat. "Uh, ummm, no. Nothing's wrong." He turned around. "I had better be going." He turned and sighed sadly. He walked out of the Talon, pausing one time to look back at the love of his life with another man. He walked slowly down the street, oblivious to the sounds going on around him.

Lana watched from inside, her arms crossed. What had Clark come to say to her? She looked back as Jason made his way upstairs and desperately missed him. She sighed, pondering the man she had loved for half of her teenage life. Why was he so reluctant to share anything with her? When he was out of sight, she sighed and made her way back inside the Talon.

Clark had been walking at a normal rate for 15 minutes, totally oblivious to the fact that it was his parent's anniversary. All he could think about was Lana. Suddenly, a van sped past him, almost hitting him in the process. He looked up surprised and saw a boy in the back. He looked familiar. The boy was desperately trying to shout something, but the glass looked soundproof. A man from the inside smacked the boy down. The van sped around the corner and away.

Clark saw the van go. He didn't want to do anything drastic, so he thought for a moment, then focused on his hearing.

Clark's Super Hearing was activated. His eardrum began to rattle rapidly. The frequency of the eardrum stretched throughout the area, allowing him to easily hear people breathing, whispers, extremely far away vehicles. He heard conversations from inside the Talon. He heard birds chirping. He heard the footsteps of people far beyond the area. He groaned, still having to get used to this. He managed to focus on the direction where he knew the van had gone.

It was at first a challenge.

It was a weary attempt because the van kept going in differnet directions and he heard other cars and conversations so it soon became very noisy.

The street around him was crowded with people and they pushed around him, sometimes breaking his concentration and causing him to feel great pain in his ears. But he managed to recognize the van's engine frequency and focus solely on it. It hummed slowly along in to his ear.

Clark closed his eyes. He then stood silently, just listening.

* * *

"You little punk!" The man shouted, hitting the boy. "Shut up or we'll kill you."

"C'mon, Archie," The driver said, "Let the boy have his last words."

The boy continued to shout."Help," the boy shouted, "Somebody help me!"

"Shut the fuck up," the man beside him shouted.

"Chill out, Archie." The driver said.

* * *

Clark heard all of this. He was awestruck, unsure of what to do. He listened carefully and heard sounds of struggling. He made his way in to the alley, making sure no one was looking. Then, he zipped towards the sounds. As he listened, he noticed the voice of the boy sounded familiar. Could it be? It was!

"I'm coming, Bart," He murmured to himself, gritting his teeth.

* * *

The van pulled in to the deserted alley. Atleast they hoped it was deserted. They had to do this work without any interference. The boss had warned them. And nobody messed around with the boss. They got out and pulled out the kid. Bart Allen.

They left the gun inside. They would have their fun. They turned back to the look out. He was sitting in the car, smoking a cigar. "Watch out," one of them mouthed.

He winked and puffed on his cigar. The man smiled and reared back, smashing his fist in to Bart's face. The torture had only begun.

Clark slowed at an old secluded alley. It was dark and quiet here. He knew the van had come in this direction. He had lost sight because he had stopped in a public area. Even though he knew people couldn't see him while he super sped, his dad had warned him repeatedly to never do it in public. He focused on the sound around him. After a few short seconds, he heard the boy whimpering. So they were somewhere around here.

* * *

Bart could barely stand.

"Stand up you little shit." The man screamed, smashing him in the face.

The other man hit him in the gut, sending him to the ground.

The driver kicked him in the gut, sending him rolling.

* * *

Clark looked around and squinted, focusing on his eyesight.

Clark's X-Ray vision allowed him to scan through the walls of the alley, revealing that two skeletons were beating up a smaller one. He looked around, still scanning, and saw that there were one car and a van. Clark scanned inside the vehincles. The van was empty but the car had a man inside, smoking a cigarette. Clark turned to the small figure being beaten up by the two men. Clark focused and the vision now centered in to the layers of the skin, revealing that the boy was none other than Bart.

Clark instantly snapped in to action. He zipped in to the section of the alley. Clark grabbed the back of the car with the man in it and tossed it high in to the air. Clark hoped no one was watching. He was more concerned with the younger boy's life, but still, it would be nice not to have an added worry.

Clark was going at super speed. Clark rushed up and punched the two men. One of the men that had been hit flew back, smashing in to a steel pipe and falling unconscious. The other man flew up high and smacked in to a balcony, falling back to the ground, also unconscious. The car with the man in it hit a nearby wall and fell upside down. The man fell out of it, injured seriously but not fatally. Clark quickly checked to make sure the car wouldn't explode and saw that Bart was almost unconscious. He dragged him out of the section of the alley and about two blocks away.

"I'll be right back," He murmured and ran back in to the alley.

Clark focused on the van. There was no one in it and he did not want the criminals to have any means of escape. He'd call authorities later.

Clark's Heat Vision now blasted through his eyes in two fiery blazing twin supernovic beams, shooting out in to the air and straight in to the huge van. The van first turned red with the immense heat of the beams, then erupted in flames. The car blasted in to the air in a massive fireball and landed on the ground, covered with fire and now turned in to black ash. It's parts had been blown all around the alley. Some of it had even disintegrated. The unconscious men were thrown back with the force of the huge explosion. Debris rained all over the alley. The ground shook rapidly and pieces of concrete were went flying in to the air, landing on the ground covered with fire. Some bricks had been blown out of nearby buildings and they were now on the ground, covered with ash. People dozens of blocks away felt the explosion. Buildings around the area shook with the force.

Clark hastily zipped out and grabbed Bart, and they were gone in less than a quarter of a second. In less than ten seconds, Clark had caused more destruction than an ordinary man would be able to do in one day.

But the man who watched from the shadows was no ordinary man.


	2. Shelter

Chapter 1

"**I'll get that for you, Bart."** Martha Kent said, taking the fork off the table and handing it to Bart. He sighed, exasperated. He looked around the table. They were all staring at him as if he would break.

"Are you o.k., Bart?" Jonathon Kent asked for the 200th time.

"Yes," Bart said grumpily, "I'm fine." He picked at chicken parmesan, forcing some past his puffed and swollen lips so that they wouldn't have to worry. Normally, he would be digging in to Martha's delicious cooking, but he wasn't very hungry.

Clark nibbled lightly on his spaghetti and watched his friend carefully. When he had brought Bart in a few hours earlier, Bart had explained to them all how he had been abducted. It seemed a little far fetched. However, despite Bart's smart talking and his bratty attitude, Clark had never really known him to lie. Bart had been abducted by a group of thugs. He had been taken to a Luthor Corp facility and experimented on for about three days. Weak, exhuasted, and bruised, he had managed to escape, but to his shock, without his powers. As he struggled to get away, the thugs had taken him. They had beaten him and taken him to the alley. That's when Clark had stepped in.

Clark looked around the table at his parents. They had barely eaten at all. Bart was like a son to them. They seemed to believe him. Clark believed him too. If this had been a prank, Bart would have exposed himself by now. Clark knew him. Unlike Clark, Bart could never remain at a normal speed for over an hour. Too much adrenaline.

Band-aids covered Bart's face. Though he had not been beaten too badly, He was very nauseous and could barely stand by himself. He ate very little and was the exact opposite of the boy they had met just a few months earlier.

Jonathon sipped at his juice and watched Bart. When Bart looked up, Jonathon looked away hastily. If there was one person who did not at all appreciate pity, it was Bart Allen.

Bart groaned inwardly. It wasn't as if he didn't like the Kents. Hell, they were more like parents to him than his real parents were, but Christ, he couldn't move a muscle without them jumping to attention. He hated the nagging feeling in his heart. Crap, he was starting to love these people! He didn't love anyone. Why did they treat him so nicely? Shoot, if he had found out that somebody had stolen from him, unlike Jonathon, He would have kicked someone's ass.

They sat awkwardly like this, glasses and cutlery clanking. Atlast, Bart stood up. "May I be excused?" He said. He was immediately surprised. He was asking them? They weren't his parents. They weren't his-

"Sure." Martha and Jonathon said at the same time.

"Thanks." He said moodily. He walked out of the house, limping. He glared back at them, silently daring anybody to ask him if he needed help. Nobody said anything. He turned around, satisfied. He limped out.

"How's he doing?" Martha asked Clark as soon as the door slammed shut.

"He's depressed," Clark said quietly, "If I had just gotten there earlier, he would have…"  
"What?" Jonathon challenged, a little annoyed. "What? You saved his life son. He even thanked you for goodness sake, but as usual, here you stand, thinking it's all your fault. What else is new, Clark?"

Clark and Martha were shocked out this outburst.

"Jonathon?" Martha asked. He sighed.

"I'm sorry, Clark." Jonathon said breathing deeply. "I'm just tired of you thinking it's all your fault. Not every bad thing in this town happens because of Clark Kent."

"Sorry." Clark said. "It's just that, I don't know, dad. He was just sitting there in that alley. If I hadn't been on my way back from Wichita I…." Clark immediately realized his mistake.

"Wait," Jonathon said, shocked. "You went to Wichita?"  
"I'm sorry, dad, it's just that…"

"It's just that nothing. Your mother and I deliberately told you not to go." Clark hung his head down. He pouted silently.

"Clark!" Martha hissed. But she knew that she and Jonathon were already melting. That dang puppy dog look! Jonathon growled softly.

"It's just that, there's really no one to talk to." Clark admitted. "Chloe doesn't know, Lana doesn't know, The only ones who really know are you guys and Pete. It's been hard without him."

Jonathon sighed. "I know son. Just be careful. How are you gonna explain to Ms. Ross how you can make it to Wichita in twenty minutes?"

Clark nodded.

Martha smiled. "Now go check on Bart."

Clark cleared his throat. "Yes, Mom." He got his plates and Bart's and carried them to the sink. He put them in and jogged out at a normal pace. The farm was dark and the stars shone brightly in the sky. He sighed happily. This night wasn't for super speeding. This was a night for a nice, long walk.

He saw Bart in the distance. He jogged slowly to his disgruntled friend. Bart was sitting against a tree, a blanket wrapped around him, and gazing at the stars. He glanced at Clark and continued to watch.

Clark sighed. He sat down next to his friend.

"I'd give anything to be able run again." Bart said. "Even normally."

"You will be." Clark said. "As soon as your leg heals."

"I don't think so." Bart said. "There's something I need to tell you."

"What?" Clark asked, concerned.

Bart sighed wearily. "I didn't just lose my powers Clark. I kinda, gave them away."

"What do you mean?"

"The scientist that studied me, I think he has my powers."

"How could that be?" Clark asked.

"I don't know, man. When they were beating me, I saw him. He was moving as fast as lightning. All around me, taunting me. I don't know, men. It might have been an hallucination. All I know is, now, I couldn't run if my life depended on it."

"Yeah?" Clark asked, shocked.

"Listen," Bart said urgently, "Don't tell your parents. I don't want them to be more worried than they already are."

"But.."

"Bo buts, Clark. Just don't, o.k.?"

Clark nodded reluctantly.

"I guess you finally got your wish, huh?" Bart said.

"What?" Clark asked, absent-mindedly.

"You can finally get to beat me in a race." Bart said bitterly.

"Bart…" Clark started, reaching out for his friend.

Bart waved his hand away. "Don't follow me, Clark." Bart said. He stood up and walked away. Clark sighed dejectedly. He hated seeing Bart in such a depressed state. He stood up, brushing grass off his jeans, and made his way back to the house. Bart would have to deal with his problems by himself for now.

**

* * *

**

**Chloe** Sullivan sat in the school newspaper room, The Torch, sipping at her coffee and studying her computer screen. On the monitor, was a report about the effects of meteor rocks. She was searching for what could have happened to Clark. Though she had been searching for months, she hadn't found anything. The meteor rocks that he had been exposed to that had given him his powers most have been really weird ones!

"Hey, Chloe!" Clark said, entering The Torch. He set his book bag down. Chloe hastily exited the program. She smiled up at him. She lost her breath at that beautiful smile. He was so handsome, she thought, and so clueless about her feelings for him. Clueless about her knowing about his powers. So damn clueless, and so damn hot.

"Hi, Clark." She said, nodding at him.

"What are you doing?" He asked. He came around to her desk. On the screen was an article about the Smallville football team. He didn't need to be a genius to know that wasn't what she had been doing.

"Well, what does it look like I'm doing?" She asked, a little edgy.  
"Well," Clark said rubbing his fingers, "You certainly aren't in the best of moods. Maybe I should just go."

"No." She sighed. "I'm sorry. I've just been edgy lately. It's this whole amnesia thing. I don't know what happened to me in like, three days of my life. You know, I think I know what Lex feels like now."

"Tell me about it," said Lois Lane, Chloe's cousin, as she entered the office. She stretched out and took a quick drink out of Chloe's coffee. She instantly spit it back out. "What tha hell is that?" She asked, disgusted.

Chloe chuckled. "Hate to break it to you, cuz, but you made it."  
"Me?" Lois asked incredulously. "I mean, I'm no Dunkin Donuts, but my coffee is edible." She turned to glare up at Clark. "Right, Smallville?"

Clark looked down, trying not to laugh. Lois glared. Clark held his breath. Lois hit him playfully on the shoulder. "Good way to go, Smallville. You sure helped me out there?" She crossed her arms.

"Got the story?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah. Ummm, it's in my car."

"Yeah? Go get it."

Lois smiled, flustered, and hurried out.

Chloe grinned at Clark. "Ten," she started, "Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, and.."

Just as she finished, Lois stalked back in to the office. "Kay, quick confession, little cousin. I kinda, had things to do last night. But I'll make up for it. I swear. Anything else you can print."

Chloe sighed. She opened a drawer in her desk and took out a typed manuscript. "Whenever you ask Lois Lane to do something," she started, "Always have a back up." She slapped it with exaggerated anger on her desk.

"Glad you put so much faith in me, Chloe." Lois said, feigning hurt.

Chloe raised an eyebrow.

The bell rang.

"Got to get to gym." Clark said and waved. "See you too after school." He walked out of the room. Lois watched Chloe appreciating his back view, but not exactly his back.

"Smooth, Chloe. Real smooth. I still can't see what you see in that guy." Lois lied. In fact, she did see what Chloe saw in him. It wasn't just his looks, And those looks made up for anything, but his personality. Lois had dated many guys, The baddest, The goody two shoes, the short, the tall, hell, she'd dated ex-convicts. But Clark. So meek and shy. He wouldn't hurt a fly, literally. He was so damn good, and so damn hot.

Chloe smiled shyly, embarrassed. "Got to get to class." She said. She stalked out.

Lois watched her cousin go, shaking her head. She too, left the office. The three were all oblivious to the man who had been standing outside the torch, listening.


	3. REVELATIONS

**Lex **Luthor sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair, seething with rage. Yet another robbery. This time, they had taken more than last time, 800,000. He slammed the desk his fist in rage and rubbed his bald head, agitated. It wasn't the money that bothered him. He was a Luthor for goodness sakes. He spent that much money on clothes in a month. It was nothing. It was the frequency of the attacks, this never happened to him. Never!

Normally, his father would have been another factor, but now, the new 'converted' Lionel Luthor never even said a word. This crap was getting on his nerves! Jesus Christ! He spent a few millions a year to ensure that Luthor Corp would have top notch security and in the past six months, they had already been robbed four times. Four times for goodness sakes!

It wasn't just the frequency that surprised him. It was the speed. One second, everything would be all there. Then a few seconds later, it was all gone.

His hands shaking, he picked up his drink. A knock sounded at his door.

"C'mon in." He said, forcing a normal tone.

A tall, slender woman stepped in to the room. She was lightly muscled and it excellent physical shape with an extremely attractive figure. She walked gracefully across to his desk and sat down.

"Ah…" He said coldly, "If it isn't you again, Inspector Hilda."

"Lex, Lex. Must we be so formal. My name is Kristena, refer to me as so."

"Informal? The last time we met, you tried to get me arrested."

"Yes, but five years is so long ago, isn't it?"

Lex flexed his arms. He went over to his window. He sighed. Yes, three years was a long time. A really long time. Considering that the night before she left, they had been in a hotel room. He turned back to her.

"What exactly is it you want, Kristena?"

"Relax, Lex. You're so tense all the time. I'm here to help you. There's somebody I want you to meet."

"Who?"

"Somebody who can help you greatly, Lex, believe me."

"Believe you?" Lex asked skeptically. He chuckled. "The last time I believed you, officer, I was almost arrested for murder."

"Ahhhh, another one of our past mishaps." She said, crossing her long, slim legs.

"Mishap? Hardly. You're very cunning."

"I prefer calculating."

"I prefer dubious."

"Lex, Lex." She said, coming around his desk. She reached for him, but he slapped her hands away, eyes glazed with anger.

"This is just another plot for mine and my father's devolution. Let's be honest here. We share a mutual oppugnation for each other. Let's not start to pretend. All you ever thought of me for was just another play toy."

Though his eyes were glazed with anger and hatred, Lex felt his heart bleed. This was the woman he had loved. Cherished. He had thought she had loved him too. Big mistake.

"Will you just listen to me?" Kristena asked, a little flustered. No, she had to admit, she hadn't really loved him. For her, it had been lust, the thrill of cheating on that good for nothing bastard who beat on her. But she didn't hate him. If things had been different, she might have even loved him.

"Alright." Lex said, dropping in to his chair. He looked up at her, awaiting an explanation.

"Thank you." She said. She pulled out her laptop. "May I?"

Lex shrugged. "Whatever."

She ignored the sting and set her laptop in front of him, in an angle where they could both see it. She turned it on. Lex breathed in her vanilla scent, so pure, so beautiful. He shook his head and got serious, staring intently at the laptop.

Kristena finally got to a screen. It was obviously outside Luthor Corp. Kristena started the video. The van arrived and three heavily armed men came out. They opened the truck. Kristena smiled now. There was money in the van. The men reached in for it, prepared to take it inside Luthor Corp. Suddenly, the money vanished!

"I hate to break it to you, Kristena, but I've already seen this video."

"Yes, but have you seen it frame by frame?"

Lex snorted. "Frame by Frame would only serve to prove the point that there was a trap door underneath, as all of my experts have concluded."

"Have you seen the truck, Lex? You and I both know there was no trap door."

"Yes, Kristena. What else could have happened? An act of god?" He snickered, rubbing his hands together.

"No, The act of a very, very fast man."

"Man? Mrs. Hilda, I assume to become part of the police force you have to take a mental stability test. Perhaps you slipped in a couple of bills?"

Kristena ignored him. She slowed the film down to frame by frame. Lex watched his security guards come out very slowly. They opened the door. Lex leaned in closely. In one of the frames, a blur appeared.

"What is that?" Lex asked, knowing the answer.

"You know what it is."

Though it was a blur, there was little doubt it was a man. After zooming, they could make out the slight mark of GAP jeans. Lex leaned back. "What tha hell is going on?" He asked, confused.

Kristena shook her head. In the next frame, the blur was gone!

"Jesus Christ." Lex whispered. "You mean I've been robbed by some guy…"

"Person." Kristena corrected.

"..With super speed?" Lex finished.

"Yes, Lex."

"Very believable, Kristena."

"Goddamit, Lex, you saw it with your own eyes."

"We both know our eyes can play tricks on us, especially when it comes to people." Lex said coldly.

Kristena leaned back, stung. "O.k., Lex. Before you declare me insane, there's something I want you to see."

* * *

Phillip stood, watching him. Clark came down the steps like the other high school kids. He looked a little tired. Phillip followed him. He was surprised to see the kid enter a school bus. He dropped in to a seat. Phillip entered the bus. 

He saw a blonde with short hair drop in beside Clark. She draped her arm around him. Clark smiled. They were obviously close. Phillip went to the back of the bus. He could wait. He had waited two years, he could wait a few more hours.

* * *

Lex pulled his Hummer in to the Parking Lot. He turned to Kristena. He looked up at the small cottage in front of him. "This is it?" He asked skeptically. 

Kristena was already half way out. "Shut up and follow me. And quit with the sarcasm, you're making me sick."

Lex got out and followed her. The cottage was empty.

"Nice place." Lex quipped.

Kristena snarled at him. She went to a small door on the floor. She opened it. Lex raised an eyebrow and followed her.

They climbed down a ladder. They finally dropped in to a room. All sorts of people were running around and stuff. There were computers everywhere. Utter chaos. Lex sighed, amazed. "I bet nobody knows about this place."

Kristena shrugged. "Few people do," she admitted. Lex followed her. They stopped behind an obese man. His head was dyed red and he wore glasses. He was chewing on a donut and his banana tie and striped shirt were stained with grape jelly.

"Hey, Kristena." The man said. He reached out his hand to Lex. "Ian Allen. Weird name, I know."

Lex nodded, rudely refusing the grape stained hands. He really didn't care what the man thought of him. "You know who I am, so do what you have to do."

Ian withdrew his hand offended. Kristena glared at Lex. She whispered angrily, "Listen, you selfish bastard, you may not really care what people do for you, but this man has been working day and night to help me with this. So don't you dare…"

"Don't I dare what?" Lex snarled. "I don't have to be here. As far as I'm concerned, I'm doing you a favor. Don't snap at me. I'll talk to whoever I want however I want. You understand me?"

Kristena sighed. The Luthors could be so stubborn. She had learned where Lex had gotten it from a long time ago. Lex Luthor wasn't the only Luthor man she had ever been with. As far as she was concerned, she would pick Lionel over Lex any day.

"C'mon, Ian." She said, clapping him playfully on the back.

He smiled and turned his fat body around. His chubby fingers struck the keys quickly and easily. In a matter of seconds, a video image had appeared. It was focused on a bus stop. Five men and two women were sitting down, waiting. It was in the afternoon. They watched for a few seconds.

Lex sighed, impatiently. "Hopefully, this isn't your proof, Kristena? I hoped you could have fabricated something better. Atleast I might have been able to go to sleep with a good chuckle, huh?"

"Shut your mouth." She snapped. "Just watch."

Lex smiled smugly. He was getting to her, just as he hoped he would. He watched the screen. Everything was going normally. Atlast, a boy appeared, out of nowhere. He was blonde with spiky hair.

"What tha hell?" Lex exclaimed.

Kristena nodded. "That's what I've been trying to tell you."

"Jesus Christ."

The boy disappeared again. All of a sudden, everybody yelled out at once.

A man screamed, "My wallet is missing! My wallet is missing!"

Everybody repeated those words.

"Super speed." Lex whispered.

"Yes." Kristena said, "Super speed."

"It could be teleporting." Lex said.

"It's a possibility. We haven't figured it out yet."

Lex swallowed. "I think I need to sit down," He croaked out.

Kristena nodded symphatetically, "I know. I know. Come with me." She took his shaking hand. She turned to Ian, "Found out the kid's name?"

He shook his head, "Working on it."

Kristena nodded and took Lex down a long hallway in to a room. There were various pieces of furniture around. They sat down.

"This is hard to believe." Lex admitted.

"I know."

"I should have believed you. For that, I apologize."

"Apology accepted."

"I-''

Someone knocked at the door. Ian managed to squeeze his fat frame through. "We got the kid's name," He said, "Allen. Bart Allen."


	4. BATTLE

"**See you tomorrow."** Chloe said, waving at Clark.

"Bye, Chloe." Clark said. He grabbed his backpack and walked off the bus. He watched it go, then he slowly made his way back to the house. He stopped at the mail box and went through the letters. Nothing for him, so he headed in to the house.

"Anybody home?" He called. Clark' went in to the kitchen.

"Hey, Clark." Martha said.

"Hi, Mom." Clark said, easily taking a burning hot pile of delicious looking brownies out of her hand. He grabbed one and popped it in his mouth. He chewed.

"I hate it when you do that." Martha said, feigning annoyance. She sighed, "I have one more batch of brownies left," she pointed to some brownie mix in a tray. "Mind covering them up?" She asked.

"Sure, mom." He said, covering them with aluminum foil.

"Thank you." Martha said.

"Where's Dad?" Clark asked.

"Oh, he's gone to buy some hay from Mr. Ferguson."

"Oh, that? I told him I'd run and get some."

"Clark, honey, you were an hour late."

"I had to do something at the Torch, mom."

"I'm not blaming you." Martha reassured.

Clark sighed. "Dad's always so busy lately."

"Your father just likes to work, Clark. You can't fault him for that."

Clark reached for another brownie. Martha slapped his hand away playfully. "Clark? If you keep on eating like that there won't be anymore left at the Talon. Oh, yeah, and…do you mind taking this to the Talon?" She tossed the truck keys to him.

"Sure." He said. Clark easily took the burning hot trays outside. He looked around for Bart, but he wasn't out on the farm. He would have to check the loft later. Clark jogged to the truck. He opened it and set the brownies on the passenger seat. Then he started the ignition and drove off towards the Talon.

* * *

Phillip stood watching. He cracked his knuckles. Now was his time to do what he had to do. This kid would have to learn his lesson the hard way. Phillip super speeded after the truck.

* * *

Clark veered the truck out of the Kent farm. He hummed along to an old jazz song and remembered is old best friend Pete Ross. How Pete had loved this stuff. Clark shrugged off the hurt and continued driving.

Suddenly, the truck stopped. A popped tire, Clark guessed. He got out and looked at the tires. Strangely, all four of them were torn. "What tha hell?" He whispered to himself. He looked around. There was nobody on the road. He would just have to run. Clark took out the brownies. He locked the truck and put the keys in his pocket. He could come back later and carry the truck to the farm.

Suddenly, the brownies disappeared out of his hands. He looked around, shocked. He had sensed the heart beat and figure of a person. What was going on here? Clark turned around in time to meet a fist. The fist smashed in to his midsection sending him back flying. He hit a nearby tree and it shattered. Clark looked up, shocked but unhurt. He took of his torn jacket.

He stood up slowly. The man who had hit him was still standing. He was a little over average height with bright red hair and a slender, thin frame. His face was heavily tanned and he wore obvious contacts. Clark estimated the man to be in his forties, if not fifties.

"You're unhurt." The man said incredulously.

"What are you?" Clark asked, shocked. He walked closer to the man.

"Your worst nightmare." The man said angrily. He super sped up to Clark. Clark was amazed at the speed. He swung at Clark and hit him in the face. Then he kicked him in the jaw. Clark staggered back. He glared. Clark super sped up to the man and punched him in the chest.

The man flew back hitting the truck. There was a dent in the back. Clark ran after him and grabbed him by the collar. "What are you?" He asked. "Who are you?" The man swung at him and nailed him in the eye. Clark was unaffected but the man grabbed him in a headlock and body slammed him to the ground. Then he picked him up and threw him up 20 ft. in to the air. Clark hit the ground and bounced off, rolling off to the side. The man appeared before him and grabbed his legs, flinging him in to the air. Clark flew and landed on the ground, rolling in to a sitting position. The man zipped at him, but this time, he speared the man and they fell on to the ground. The man threw him off him. Clark stood up and the man rushed at him. Clark dodged the blow, grabbed the man, and threw him 20 ft. across the street. The man bounced to a stop and Clark was instantly upon him.

Clark raised a fist, "Who are you?"

The man spat in his face, "Someone who's going to make your life a living hell."

The man secretly dug in to his pocket. He found something, a sharp piece of green metal. He reached out and smashed it against the teen's cheek. Clark fell back, bleeding. He groaned in deep agony. Pain was not something he felt often. The man again reached out and stabbed Clark in the chest. Clark groaned. Phillip jumped behind Clark and smashed Clark in the face. Clark fell back, clutching his now bleeding nose. Phillip rushed up to him and repeatedly hammered him in the stomach. Clark fell to the floor, holding his stomach.

The man laughed. He picked Clark up and hurled him against a nearby fence. Clark crashed through. The man super sped up to him and carried him up, then threw him up in the air. Clark hit the ground hard, making a dent in the road.

The man made one mistake. He had thrown the kryptonite away. Clark managed to stand, his face swollen. Suddenly, all of his wounds began to heal. The man watched, shocked as the injuries disappeared.

"No," The man said marvellingly, " What are you?"

Clark jumped up superhumanly high in to the air and punched at the man. The man grabbed his arm and threw him. Clark landed at a half roll. This man was too fast for him.

Clark grabbed a grabbed a nearby pole. He tore it out of the ground and zipped after Phillip, repeatedly trying to hit him with it. Phillip easily evaded the blows. He caught the pole and crushed it in his hands.

"Terrible aim." The man quipped. In a second, he was right in front of Clark. He caught him with a quick hook, sending him back flying. Clark was thrown past the truck.

The man appeared behind his fallen body. "Where is he?"

"Who are you talking about?" Clark asked, a little dazed.

"The boy. Bart. Where tha hell is he?"

Clark appeared behind him. "Go to hell." He swung at the man furiously at super speed. The man easily evaded him. He grabbed him and kicked him in the knee. Clark fell to his knees. Clark jumped up superhumanly high in to the air and headed at the man. He was going straight down, headed for his foe.

Phillip was amazed at the boy's speed. He was heading straight down towards him. Phillip thought quickly. Speed was his weapon. He ran. Time seemed to freeze and Clark remained motionless in the air. Phillip was going at mega speed. He ran. He could get Bart later.

By the time Clark hit the ground, Phillip was already nine hundred yards away. He smashed in to the street, sending pieces of concrete flying around him. The concrete exploded in to the air and landed around his bare body.

He looked around him. Phillip was gone. "Where are you?" Clark asked himself. He looked around. Nothing.

He looked down and bent. The brownies were seating a few ft. away from him, a little mushy, but still o.k. He sighed. He reached in to his pocket and pulled out his car keys. He might as well get the task over with, but when he got back, he was gonna ask Bart a few questions.


	5. DISCOVERY

"**Thanks again, Mr. Kent."** Bart said as he and Jonathon arrived with the truck. They pulled in to the farm to find Clark waiting, with a worried expression on his face.

"Something bothering you, son?" Jonathon asked, getting out of the car. He was wearing jogging shoes so he and Bart had obviously been working on the legs again.

"No, Dad," Clark said, "Just need to talk to Bart."

"O.k.?" Jonathon said strangely. He made his way to the house. Bart slowly got out of the car. He landed on the ground with a grunt.

"What is it you need to talk about, Clark?" He asked, a little aggravated.

"This doctor," Clark said, "The guy you were talking about. What did he look like?"

"Well," Bart thought for a moment, "He was a redhead. Not tall, not short. Average height."

Clark nodded. "He wore contacts?"  
"Yeah," Bart nodded vigorously. "How did you know?"

"I think I met him today."

"What?"

"I was going to the Talon. He attacked me."

"How? Who?"

"The doctor. Then he said he was looking for you."

"No, that's impossible. No." Bart sank back against the truck. "This can't be." His eyes reddened. "He…He had my speed. If I had been here, I could have been killed."

"Very considerate, Bart. Thanks for caring."

"You're not dead, Clark. You're not hurt, nothing."  
"But…something's bothering me. He didn't just have, super speed, he had super strenght. He was like….almost as strong as me. And I threw him, men, I threw him far, he had a few bruises, just a few bruises."

"So what does this have to do with me?"

"We're not talking about you right now, Bart."

"Whatever."

"I'm gonna go tell my parents." Clark started for the house. Bart stopped him.

"No, Clark."

"What?" Clark asked confused.

"Don't bring your parents in to this. There's nothing they can do. I don't want them to worry."

"It's a little too late for that, Bart." Clark said, a little annoyed. "And there's something I just don't get. How'd the good doctor kidnap you?"

"What are you talking about, Clark?" Bart asked.

"You know what I'm talking about, Bart."

"No, I don't." Bart said defensively. "If you're implying something, why don't you say it right to my face?"

"I don't think he just, kidnapped you, Bart."

"What are you talking about?"

"In fact, I think it was voluntary."  
"How the hell would you know something like that?"

"I saw his speed, Bart. I've seen your speed. If they had let you go for one second, you'd have already been out of the block, Bart."

"What the hell do you mean?"

"Stop lying!" Clark shouted. "I'm trying to help you."

"Yeah?" Bart said skeptically, "You're sure doing a great job."  
Bart stalked back to the house. Clark sighed. He linked his fingers for a moment and thought. Something dawned on him. If Bart was in any kind of trouble, there was only one person who could help.

It was a big Hummer, military style, one of the biggest Clark had ever seen. He saw that there was a beautiful woman in the back and two guys in the front, one who was driving. The huge car stopped at the check point, then entered the Luthor Mansion compound. Clark exited the truck, leaving it outside, and entered behind the Hummer. The woman was out before the huge car stopped.

"Who are you?" She asked, glaring at him.

"Clark Kent." He said, a little shocked by her rudeness. He held out his hand.

She ignored it. "You really shouldn't be here. Mr. Luthor and I will be having a private conference. How did you get in here."

"Lex is one of my friends." He said, "I always come here."

"Not today," she said, waving him away.

"I'm sure I can wait somewhere," he said, not willing to be turned away by her.

"No, you cannot."

"What's the big deal, I'll just wait in the game room. Lex and I are good friends."  
"Security," she said pointing to the 2 men, "Escort Mr. Kent here out."

"Why?" He asked.

"Take him out." She hollered.

The 2 men stalked up to Clark and grabbed him by the biceps. He surpressed the urges to throw them off him.

"We'll take him out." The 1st man said.

"No problem," the 2nd man said. They proceeded to usher him out of the compound and out of the gate. Lex's security guards just watched this calmly, not intervening. The men hastily went back inside, ordering the Luthor security to shut the gates which they did. Clark bit his lip.

He had to make a tough decision. He could either choose to leave the matter alone or eavesdrop. He chose the latter. He wanted to know what was so important and if maybe it even involved him. The Luthors had spied on him before, he decided, so it was time to return the favor. He made his way to the truck. He got in and drove a little while away from the mansion till he was out of the site of the guards. Then he stopped the truck and turned off the ignition. Clark settled back in his seat, watching the distant Luthor Mansion from his rearview mirror and focused on the sounds around him.

Clark's Super Hearing was activated, the frequency stretching throughout the Luthor Mansion and the surrounding areas. His eardrums began to beat rapidly and he easily heard everything that was going on. His ears throbbed with the effort and he easily heard every single thing going on inside the Luthor Mansion. He heard servant's conversations, the drone of a television, radio and even a computer. He heard the whimpering of the huge hounds that were barking in the backyard. He could hear a treadmill and someone was drinking something.

Clark focused and listened intently, now focusing on the woman's heartbeat so he could know where she was. He listened solely to her now. She was going upstairs to Lex's office. Clark waited impatiently, desperately wondering what was going on. What was Lex involved in that was so secretive. Whatever it was, he was going to find out.

* * *

Lex turned off the treadmill and stepped off, his body covered with sweat. He rubbed most of it off with a towel and grabbed a sports drink. Then he went down to his office. To his surprise, Kristena was already there.

"What are you doing here?" Lex asked calmly.

"I still have the key, Alex." She said, jiggling the proof out in front of him.

"Do you have anything on the kid's location?" Lex asked. He dropped in to his swivel chair and turned, to look out at the city.

"It's kinda hard to track a kid faster than lightning, Lex, but yeah, we're working on it. We do have one thing though."  
"What is it?"

"The kid was registered at a hotel in Orlando a few weeks ago. Haven't found anything on him since."

"I want everybody you have on this, Kristena. I want him, Kristina, you understand me?"

"Yes, sir!" Kristina drawled sarcastically.

"Save the comments," Lex snapped, "We're not exactly on the best of terms right now."

"No, we're not, are we?"

"You're a very smart talker, you know that?"

"A certain bald man taught me that."

"I'm a Luthor, Kristena. It's a given."  
"I always found that aspect incredibly sexy, you know that?"  
"Perhaps a few Hamilton's also?"

"You know, Lex, no matter what you think, I didn't want you for the money."

"No?"

"Why are you so goddamned skeptical of everything?"

"It comes with the job."  
"Not the first time I've heard that from you."  
"It won't be the last."

"I didn't think so." Kristena said.

Kristena stood up seductively. She advanced towards him, swaying her hips suggestively. She leaned over him, breathing hard, "You know, Lex, when you were away, I missed you."

Lex shoved her slightly, giving him enough room to get out from under her. He chuckled and headed to the mini bar. He poured himself a glass of Vodka and stared longingly at her slender, toned frame. 4 years earlier, he would have killed for a chance with her. But now….

"I don't know what you're trying to do, Kristena, And honestly, I don't really give a damn. Just.. stay out of my personal space and I'll stay out of yours." He gulped down his vodka and quickly refilled it.

He turned around right in to her. "You don't really mean that." She purred. "You love me, Lex. I think we both know that."

"This would be funny if I wasn't so disgusted." Lex said, a little flustered. "Your audacity to do this is admirable. You're a very brave, or stupid, woman."

"Brave no….. stupid no. I am a coward, Alex. We both know that's why I left you."

"I hope it bothers you as little as it bothers me."

"Oh, Lex- ''

"How did it get to this, Kristena? We were just hear, talking about the kid. I want to hear about Bart Allen, I really care very little about your personal feelings."

"You never did care about anybody but yourself."  
"That coming from you doesn't hurt as much."

* * *

About half an hour later, Clark heard Kristena leave the office. It was time to go, he swallowed, shocked at all that had happened. So Bart was involved in this.

"What have you gotten yourself in to, Bart?" Clark muttered to himself, as he opened the truck's door and entered it, careful not to break it when he closed it because he was a little angry. "Oh,god, Bart. A robbery?" Clark started the engine.

He saw Kristena exit the mansion.

He shook his head, made a U-Turn, and headed back home.


	6. OBSERVATIONS

**CHAPTER 5**

The loft was quiet. The whole house was quiet. Right now, Clark wouldn't have liked it any other way. He stood at the window of the loft, watching as Bart jogged around the farm. Clark sighed. He turned around to the messy loft. Instead of the peaceful, normal haven he had inhabited up to a couple of days ago, this one was strewn with comics, empty candy wrappers, game containers.

This time, mused Clark, Bart had actually _bought _the games. What a turn of events. Clark walked slowly around the loft, picking up stuff. He rearranged everything, setting it carefully around him. He sighed heavily, Lana hadn't been at the Talon when he had gone. Only Jason. He had hastily left the brownies and just left.

_FIGURES, _He thought to himself. How could he have been a fool? It wasn't the first time he had wished he hadn't pushed Lana away. So many chances had been shoved away with one stupid decision of his.

He stood up. _There were things to be done. _Clark headed down to the barn. He would be shoveling the hay. He looked around. Bart was gone. Clark wasn't worried. Bart periodically disappeared and Clark was using his keen eyesight and hearing to make sure that guy hadn't come anywhere near the barn. If the guy did come back, Clark would be ready.

Suddenly, Clark's cell phone rang. He picked it out of his jeans pocket and flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Hey, Clark. Are you doing anything?" Chloe asked on the other end.

"Mmmm, just about to finish my chores. What did you have in mind?"  
"Well, I came by earlier. That kid, Bernie, Brat, whatever-''

"Bart."

"Like I said, whatever. What's wrong with him."  
Clark swallowed. "Ummm, nothing, he's ahhh, just a little sick, that's all."

"A little too ummm, ahhh, for my taste, but hey, it's Clark Kent I'm dealing with, right?"

Clark laughed nervously. "So what did you have in mind Chloe."

"I've got a little story you two might be interested in."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, why don't you just run by the torch."

"You're still at the torch? Most normal kids would be out of school before the bell rang. "

"_You _should be talking about normal, right Clark?" Chloe whispered under her breath. Clark heard her easily. He swallowed and ignored it. Chloe now spoke audibly, "Why don't you and the Bart kid run by?"

For some reason, the expression made Clark squirm a little. Run bye? He swallowed again. You could be sure he was taking the truck today! "Yeah, sure, why not? See you later?"

"Affirmative."

Clark ended the call and slipped the phone back in to his pocket. He swallowed again. He was going to the torch. He jogged out in to the open field. "Bart!" He called out. "Bart!" He heard nothing. He focused more and he heard the sound of breathing. He jogged towards the sound.

"Bart?" Bart was sitting on the grass doing crunches.

"What do you want?" He asked snidely.

"I was going out. Wondering if you want to come?"

"Why would I? What are you gonna accuse me of now, huh, Clark? I don't even know why I even trusted you. You were never my friend."

"Bart, please. Just listen." Clark sat on the grass as his friend breathed heavily. Clark smiled admirably. In the past day or so, Bart had been relentlessly exercising. He had already gone running with Jonathon this day. In one day, Bart was getting his body back in shape!

"Whatever." Bart dropped in to a sitting position, insolently crossing his arms and scowling. He turned to Clark expectantly.

Clark sucked in a deep breath. "Listen, I didn't mean to accuse you o.k. We can discuss that later, but there's something else I need to talk to you about."

"Yeah?"

"Have you been….. involved with Luthor Corp financially?"

"And you mean….."  
"Robbing."

Clark was expecting outrage and he got it.

"What tha hell is your problem?" Bart yelled, springing to his full height, still more than a foot shorter than Clark.

Clark stood up, pursing his lips and looking down at Bart. "Listen Bart," he started, "Right now, I could care less how you feel. You're on Kent land. My mother could have been murdered, do you know that? She loves you like a son. That man could have killed her and been across the world by the time I arrived at home. So don't you dare ask me what tha hell my problem is!" He swung around and headed for the truck. Clark thought for a second then called back, "I'm going out!" He went inside the house and got the keys.

Not to his surprise, Bart was already at the passenger side door. He opened the truck and entered. Bart got in beside him.

"Didn't expect you here." Clark lied, starting the ignition.

Bart nodded. "Neither did I."

Clark pulled out of the compound as they made their way silently toward SMALLVILLE High. Bart wound down his side of the truck so the wind blew his hair down over his face. He turned to look at Clark. Clark was staring stonily ahead, easily ignoring him.

"I know we're not on the best of terms right now, Clark."

"I never said that."  
"You don't need to say it. I see it in your face every goddamn time I use my powers. Like you're condemning me. Just like my father. Every time that bastard looked at me I felt like shit. The reason I ran away is that I never wanted to feel like that. Here, I come to Smallville, and meet the only guy who's even remotely like me and he hates my guts."

Clark had to concentrate on not crushing the steering wheel. He swallowed frustrated. "I never said I hated you, Bart. You assume people hate you. You assume a lot of things. You don't take responsibility for what you do. You think that you can just go in and out of people's lives in a flash and it'll all be o.k., don't you. Do you know how long my mom waited at the fun when you said you'd call her? She almost broke down. You have no idea how much they love you, Bart. Why, I don't know. You sure as hell don't deserve it."  
"I'm tired of this holier than thou shit. If that's all you want to say, I guess I shouldn't even think of you as a friend. You would never understand, Clark. Your parents love you. They would die for you. Jesus Christ, they took you home out of a freaking spaceship. I get in to a freak accident and my parents can't even look me in the eye. You'll never understand it, will you?"

"What is there to understand?" Clark yelled loudly, "What do you want us to understand. All you do is keep your feelings to yourself, keeping yourself alive with all that strong man. Open up, Bart! Take responsibility for your actions!"

Bart was silent. He knew Clark was right. Clark had always been right. For the first time in his life, Bart truly felt ashamed for all of his actions. Clark misunderstood it. He turned to Bart guiltily.

"Listen Bart, I'm sorry. I shouldn't-''

"No, Clark. You're right." He admitted.

Clark nodded. He looked around. They were almost at the Talon.

PHILLIP watched. She was indeed beautiful. There was little wonder why the Kent boy loved her. Lana turned away from the piercing gaze of her last customer at the Talon. She sighed weirdly and put the coffee machine away. Then she glanced at her watch.

"Talon close in an hour, sir." She said.

Phillip nodded. "I'll be going soon," He said, looking outside at his rental van.

Lana forced a smile and headed in to the private quarters.

Phillip got up and super sped. In a split second, he had the key out of her pocket and was sitting again. He watched her go. Then he went and locked the Talon door. He smiled as he crushed the keys in his hands. He wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. And thus, Phillip headed towards the one and only….Lana Lang.


	7. REBUTTAL

**Jason **watched Lana go up the stairs, to her room, then he turned back to The Metropolis Shark's game. The Sharks were winning by two touchdowns and he had bet on it. You could be damn sure he was gonna be watching this. Suddenly, the door flew in to the room and it crushed the T.V., crushing it easily. Jason fell back, terrified. Lana screamed from upstairs. She was in the shower so she listened carefully, wrapping a towel around herself.

Jason rolled off the fallen sofa in to crouch. He turned around to look. The man who had been in the Talon earlier strode in to the private quarters. Jason stood up threateningly. He had atleast three inches on this guy. If he wanted a confrontation, he could be damn sure he was gonna get one.

"Who tha hell are you?" Jason yelled.

The man appeared in front of him.

"What tha-?" Jason didn't have time to finish. The man grabbed him by his shirt tail and threw him up 8 ft. in to the air. Jason landed on the ground, groaning. He rolled around, clutching his ribs. Lana stumbled down the stairs. Phillip looked up smiling.

"Hello, Ms. Lang." Phillip started towards her. Lana ran up the stairs. Jason grabbed Phillip's ankles. Phillip sneered down. He easily picked him up and nailed him in the chest, sending him flying back in to the fridge. It broke open and the contents spilt out all over him. His back was bleeding heavily and his body was numb with pain.

Phillip appeared in front of him. He grabbed the kid by the collar and zoomed up the stairs. He saw Lana frantically dialing 911. "You talk," He said threateningly, "I'll kill him," He said pointing at the open window. Lana dropped the receiver. She backed up, terrified.

"I lied," Phillip smiled. And with that, he hurled Jason out of the window. Lana screamed.

* * *

Clark was driving the truck past the Talon. Bart noticed Clark staring longingly at it.

"The Lana girl?" He asked.

"Yeah," Clark admitted.

"You have to get over her sometime- ''

"I don't wanna talk about it."  
Bart shrank back, a little hurt, but understanding. "Whatever's good for you dude."

Clark nodded, "I appreciate that."

At that moment, Bart looked back at the Talon.

"Clark!" Bart yelled, pointing at it

In an instant, Clark had braked, inadvertently slamming his foot through the floor, and he had zipped out of the car. He had seen Jason falling too. Bart saw none of this. He just stared at the hole in the floor and said, "Whoa!"

* * *

Jason fell towards the ground at a startling speed, very unconscious. Clark quickly super sped under him. He caught Jason inches from the ground and laid him on the sidewalk. Jason was unconscious. Clark saw that Jason's jacket was wet with blood. Clark tore off the jacket and tossed it aside. The shirt underneath was torn and soaked with blood. Clark tore his own jacket off his back and wrapped it around Jason's wounded back, hoping to help stuanch the blood. It wasn't much, but it was all he could do.

Clark then stood up wearily and focused his vision on the Talon.

Clark's X-Ray vision allowed him to scan through the walls of the Talon building and in to the interior. He scanned the bottom floor and determined that no one was there. There was damage to the inside of the building and this got him a little worried. Then he looked up. He scanned through the whole top floor, revealing nothing until he reached Lana's room. It appeared that one skeleton was heading towards a smaller one, obviously Lana. It was from the same room Jason had just been thrown out of. Clark focused and the scan now changed in to the fragments of the skin, revealing it was the man he had battled earlier.

Clark instantly ran through the door of the Talon and it flew open. He zipped through, unhurt. He super sped towards the private quarters up stairs. The man was standing over Lana. She was unconscious, though she had obviously fainted from shock rather than physically pain. Clark knew this, but it still unleashed great rage in him. He zipped at Phillip. Phillip ducked the blow at super speed. He struck Clark and he flew across the room and through a wall. Clark sprang up. He rushed at Phillip and tackled him to the ground. Phillip tossed Clark off him and zipped towards the teen. Clark kicked him away and hastily stood up, then dove at him. Phillip easily dodged the blow and smashed Clark in the chest, sending him to the ground.

"You just never quit, do you farm boy."

"Not when it comes to my family, I don't."  
Clark kicked him and Phillip flew back and down the stairs, landing with a thud on the ground. Clark appeared in front of him. Clark super sped, trying to hit Phillip frantically. Phillip was too fast. He easily ducked the blows then He head butted Clark. He grabbed him by the collar and threw him upstairs. Clark smashed through the ceiling and too the top floor. Phillip was there before he hit the ground.

Clark hastily stood up and brushed dirt off himself.

"Stand down, farm boy." Phillip snapped gritting his teeth.

Clark zipped towards him and swung. Phillip grabbed the teen around the arm and swung him around him once, sending him through another wall. Clark bounced off the ground and rolled over. Phillip zipped up to him. Clark appeared behind him and grabbed him around the waist, flinging him across the room. Phillip bounced in to a cupboard, crushing it. He quickly stood up and zipped towards Clark, swinging. Clark managed to duck and he hammered Phillip in the face, sending him stumbling back.

"You're not going to win!" Phillip shouted, his nose bleeding.

"Try me." Clark said coolly.

Phillip roared and dove at the boy. He was too quick and he sent them both hurtling through a door way, crashing in to the room. They each stood up quickly, desperately fighting not to lose this battle. Clark dove at Phillip and caught him with a right hook. Phillip stumbled back but quickly reared back and smashed Clark in the gut. Clark was thrown backwards. He bounced off a nearby table and hit the ground with a heavy thud. In a split second, he was up and right in front of Phillip. He swung desperately but the older man was too strong. He easily blocked the blows and hammered Clark in the face again. Clark stumbled back and now it was his turn to block the blows. After he had successfully done so, he smashed Phillip in the face then kicked him in the leg. Phillip fell to his knees and Clark hammered him in the face again. Phillip cried out in pain, holding the side of his head.

"You're making me angry." He said coolly.

"Do something about it." Clark said.

Phillip dove at him and caught him with a quick hook. Clark stumbled back, surprised by the force and speed of the blow. Phillip again swung and hit Clark in the stomach, making the teen fly back and hit the ground.

Phillip grabbed Clark and swung at him. Clark ducked and upper cutted him. Phillip flew through the ceiling and landed with a thud back on the ground. He stood up and zipped after Clark. He speared him and they crashed through a wall, Phillip hitting Clark ineffectually. Clark threw Phillip off him and Phillip crashed through the walls in the bathroom Lana had been in earlier. He smashed against the tub and bounced off, his head falling on the hard ground. Clark zipped up to him and hammered him in the face. Phillips's head crashed back through the brick walls, but he managed to regain his balance, unhurt. He quickly zipped at Clark, aiming for a low shot in to his groin. Clark dodged the blow and grabbed Phillip around the head, securing him in a headlock. He swung the man around, then hurled him in to a nearby room. Phillip flew in to the room, smashing through the closet.

He hastily stood up. "Gained a sudden flair, haven't we?" He mocked Clark.

"You made the biggest mistake coming after her." He said.

"What are you going to do?"

"Make you wish you hadn't."

Phillip zipped at Clark again. Clark barely managed to dodge the blow, but Phillip lifted him over his head and slammed him to the ground. Clark kicked out and tripped Phillip, then hastily jumped to his feet. Phillip swung at him, smashing him in the face and sending him flying back.

"You're no match for me." Phillip said, smiling.

"I'll just wipe that smile off your face." He said.

"Go ahead, try me." Phillip smiled evilly.

"Leave my family out of this!" Clark shouted.

"Make me." Phillip snapped, grabbing Clark. He flung the young boy across the room. Clark flew back through the air. He fell in a heap on the floor.

"I'm tired of this." Clark hollered and jumped at Phillip, hammering him in the chest. Phillip stumbled back and Clark shoved him, sending him flying back. Clark zipped at him, held him up, and head butted him in the stomach, then slammed him to the ground again.

Phillip bounced off the ground painfully and jumped to his feet.

"You can't get rid of me that easily." He roared.

"Watch me!" Clark said, kicking him in the stomach. Phillip bent over in pain and Clark easily tossed him backwards, then zipped up to him and hammered him in the jaw. Phillip roared in pain and managed to stand up.

"I'm impressed," Phillip said, looking up at Clark.

"I don't care."

"I know that."

"Good."  
"You're a worthy opponent."

"You're not. You're a- ''

Before Clark could finish, Phillip had caught him around the waist and thrown him against a rail. The rail easily cracked and Clark flew off, down from the top floor and to the ground below. He stood up, his clothes torn and chalky. Phillip appeared beside him. He swung. Clark ducked. Phillip was thrown off balance and his fist smashed against a pillar. The pillar started the fall and the foundations of the roof started to crumble. Phillip got an idea. He super sped up to another pillar and hit it with all his strenght. It snapped in half.

"Say goodbye to your little girlfriend!" He shouted.

With that, he sped out of the house. Clark's Super speed, fueled by Lana's fate, accelerated so greatly, even he was shocked. Clark sped and took a giant leap. He easily landed on the top floor. He sped in to the Lana's room just as the pillar was falling. A little embarrassed, he noted she was only wearing a towel. But now was not the time. He grabbed her just as the pillars were breaking. She was over his shoulders as Clark steadied the two pillars with both hands. The whole Talon shook. The pillars were broken. There was no point for them anymore Clark let them drop as the whole roof came crashing down. The whole top floor collapsed and the house's foundations were torn off. Clark fell to the ground. He landed as the debris came rushing down towards him. He held up his hands. Clark caught the roof in both hands, over his shoulders. Only a little bit of debris had landed over Lana and she was unhurt. The Talon, though, was nonexistent. Clark easily tossed the giant roof aside and it landed on the road, blocking all things. All he could think about right now was Lana. Clark was about to take her to a hospital, but something stopped him. He senses approaching footsteps. Clark laid Lana down and zipped out of the debris.

* * *

A few seconds later, a crowd of passers and policemen arrived. They were all shocked to find Lana and Jason. They stood, terrified and scared, wondering what could have caused such destruction. Only one of them knew, and he was smiling to himself as he saw the unhurt Lana being loaded in to an ambulance. Bart shook his head and made his way out of the crowd.

* * *

Clark watched from afar, in a deserted alleyway. He sighed happily as he saw Lana and Jason being taken away. He sensed something. He turned around. Phillip stood there smoking a cigar.

"You son of a-'' Clark started.

"No, no," Phillip said, wagging his fingers. "Must we really use such language? I'm sure your mom would be disappointed."

And he sped away. Clark zipped after him. The two speedsters raced down the street, Phillip easily gaining distance. But something ticked in Clark's heart. He was going faster than he had ever gone before. Without his knowledge, he was accessing a part of him that he thought had died. Clark Kent was flying. Neither the 'cop', nor the 'robber' knew this was happening. Phillip didn't look back. Clark wasn't paying attention. He zoomed after the man who had almost killed his girlfriend. Clark slowly gained distance. Atlast, he reached out and grabbed Phillip by his shoulders. He spun the man around.

"You know," Phillip snarled tauntingly, "Whatever you do to me, your family's going to pay for it. Every last one of those pieces of shit. You can bet your ass."  
Clark lost it. He reared back and smashed Phillip in the chest. An amazing thing happened. Phillip had taken countless drugs to make himself invunerable. Few times had this not happened. But nothing had prepared him for the wrath of Clark Kent's strenght. Clark's fist smashed in to the iron ribs, breaking them easily. Phillip flew back. The ribs easily separated. They tore through his flesh and flew at his heart. They entered in to him and shattered it, breaking it apart easily. Technically, he was dead. By the time he landed on the ground, Clark was gone. Phillip had a dying breath left. He dug his shaking, bleeding hands in to his pockets and pulled out a dial. With his dying breath, he shoved it in to his neck. The liquid pulsed through his skin. His bones were instantly rebuilt, his heart intact. The blood began to pump. Exactly 13 seconds later, Phillip stood up, flexing his muscles. He smiled down at the empty vial. He left the alley. There was work to be done.

* * *

THE MAN watched the boy. He dug in to his pocket and pulled out the picture he had been studying for the past several months. He smiled and slipped it in to his pocket. The man slipped out his revolver. He put a silencer on it and cocked it. He could always say it had been an accident, the boy had tried to attack him. Then, Kristena wouldn't care. The man knew that he would be funded well by Mr. Luthor. And with that, The man was after Bart. Seth Hanison headed after Bart Allen, The blonde boy that had ruined his father's life.

He was going to have his revenge. For all the pain Bart had cuased him and his whole family, oh, yes. Revenge was sweet.


	8. SAVIOR

**CLARK **had been late as usual, Chloe Sullivan thought, pulling her car along the street. He could have been there in less than three minutes if he had really wanted to, but nooo, he had left her hanging. If it had been Lana, Chloe mused sadly, Clark would have been there in a second, but never, never for her.

Chloe tuned in to a radio station and hummed along to a 'Shania Twain' song. She headed down the street, towards the Kent Farm. Suddenly, a blonde boy wearing a red parka rushed across the street in front of her. She screeched to a stop as the SUV behind her almost tore off her bumper.

"What tha hell is wrong with you?" She cried out.

"Sorry, babe!" The boy called to her and winked. He continued across the street. She was about to go, but a tall, skinny, bald man crossed in behind Bart. He was walking briskly and he was obviously hiding something in his coat jacket. Suddenly, Chloe noticed something. This was the same kid she had seen in The Kent house earlier that day. She could have slapped her self.

She pulled the car over and rushed after him. Chloe began to notice something strange. Wherever Bart went, the strange man went. Something was going on here. She stopped to a slow walk to observe what was going on. She followed the group down an alley. The boy stopped at a soda machine. The man stopped behind him.

"Hey, there, kid."

Bart turned around, raising an eyebrow. "I know you from where, exactly?"

"Rough talking little mouth you got there. Want me to staple it together?"

"Go ahead, Try." Bart was a little scared, but the hell if this moron was gonna get one whimper out of him. "Who are you, I don't even know you."

"You did something, something very, very stupid, you know that?"

Bart was starting to get agitated. "Listen, lump brain. Whatever tha hell I did to you, I'm sorry." He got a soda can out of the machine. "Jesus Christ, can't a man get a little peace?"

The man grabbed Bart's arm and the can dropped to the floor, bounced and was split open, spewing grape soda everywhere. "Listen, you stupid little fu-''

The man was interrupted as Bart shoved his knee up his crotch. The knee slammed in to the man's pants and the man instantly dropped. Bart accelerated, but the man caught him by the ankle. Bart fell to the ground in a puddle. He kicked at the man, but there was no point. The man dragged him up to him and stood up, lifting him by the collar.

"This is an interesting situation, isn't it?" He asked simply. He smashed Bart in the gut. Bart almost vomited. He groaned and clutched his aching stomach. The man slipped his hand inside his pants.

"I don't go that way, man." Bart wheezed out mockingly.

"Very funny." The man slipped out the gun and let go so that Bart fell to the ground. "Have a nice day, Small fry." The man said. He squeezed the safety and for one moment, he enjoyed the moment. His finger went to the trigger and he jerked his finger back, and reached for it. Just as he was about to pull it, A trash can was rammed in to his back. The gun fired though very far away from Bart.

The huge man fell to reveal Chloe Sullivan. She was breathing hard. "Hey, Bart." She said simply.

He smiled weakly. "Hey, Chlaricia."

"It's Chloe."

"Oh, yeah."

She helped him up and he dusted himself off. "I owe you one." He said smiling at her. A beautiful smile she thought. This kid was pretty cute.

"Let's go." She said, breaking the spell. She started out of the alley. Bart followed her. Suddenly, the man jerked up.

"You little bitch!" He yelled. He pointed his gun at Chloe and fired. At that moment, something jerked in Bart's mind and heart. Something that had never happened before. With all his physical strenght, he channeled all the power he had in to his natural abilities. He ran after Chloe.

Time froze. The bullet was in midair. Bart was super speeding again! He rushed after the frozen Chloe Sullivan for what seemed like hours. He dove and knocked her out of the way. She fell to the ground, unconscious as a pipe behind them exploded from the force of the bullet.

"What tha hell?" The man screamed. He got up and ran after Bart. Bart instinctively dodged the blow and struck out his foot, effectively tripping the man. The man tripped over his foot and landed on the floor. His head slammed in to the concrete and blood spewed out of the ugly cut. Bart looked down at the unconscious man and girl. Something strange had happened. He had assumed he couldn't super speed anymore. He tried again, running across the alley, but all he did was jog. He tried again and again. No effect. He sighed sadly. He could work on it later. With that last thought, he hitched Chloe up on his shoulders and headed out of the alley, leaving the unconscious man behind.

* * *

CLARK arrived at the Kent Farm. He entered in through the surprisingly open front door and in to the parlor. What he saw surprised him.

Jonathon and Martha stood around the couch. Bart was sitting on it and Chloe was strewn across with her feet on his lap. She was unconscious and there was a little bit of dried blood on her forehead, though there were already bandages there.

Clark hurried towards the sofa. "Oh, my god!" He said worriedly. "Is she o.k.? What happened. What happened?"

Jonathon spoke up, "Cool down, son. Chloe here saved Bart's life."

"What exactly happened?" Clark asked incredulously.

"This guy, that I don't even know. He tried to kill me for some reason. If your friend hadn't been there, I'd have been sprayed all over the alley by now." Bart turned back to Chloe. He looked down at her admirably.

"Wow. Is everything o.k. I think I'll X-Ray her." Clark said coming up behind the couch.

"No need for that," Said Martha, waving him away. "She's already been X-Rayed. Dr. Seiners says nothings been broken. The worst injury she got is a sprained thumb and it'll be healed in less than a week."  
"There's something I need to tell you," Bart said, speaking up, "All of you."

* * *

THEY were now in the loft. The ceiling fan overhead wasn't helping much but there wasn't much else they could do. Chloe was in the house, sleeping peacefully in the guest bedroom. Martha was sitting across the table, holding Bart tightly in an embrace. Jonathon and Clark were sitting side by side across from them.

"You said there was something you wanted to tell us?" Clark said.

Bart swallowed. "Yeah." He pulled gently out of Martha's embrace.

There was an awkward silence for a minute.

"And that something is….?" Jonathon asked.

"Clark, you were right." Bart admitted.

"Right about what?"  
"If I had really wanted to get away from the scientist, if he blinked, I'd have been in California."  
"Bart. Oh, no, Bart." The realization dawned on Clark.

Bart turned back Clark's parents puzzled expressions.

"Mr. Kent," Bart started firmly, "I wasn't abducted."

"You what?" Jonathon was surprised. "What are you-''

"They caught me." Bart started. "They caught me super speeding one day. I was. I didn't know."

"Wait a minute," Jonathon grabbed Bart's arms, "Who caught you speeding? Who tell us." He was inadvertently shaking the young boy.

"The gguy I was tttelling you about. The scientist. His name is….. Phillip. Phillip Rafferty. He, Hhhheee offered me some money if he could just run tests on me. III didn't know. I'm sorry."

Clark stood up and stalked out of the barn angrily.

Bart's head was in his hands and his whole body was shaking. He was almost weeping now. "I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

Despite the betrayal and the overwheming revelations, Martha's motherly instinct took over. She took the sobbing boy in her arms and let the tears drip all over her brand new GAP sweater. She rubbed his shaking shoulders gently.

He looked up, his eyes glazed with tears. He turned to Jonathon. Bart cleared his throat, "Mr. Kent," He said, his voice sore. "I understand if you want me out. I just need to get my stuff, and I'll be outta here in a- ''

He was interrupted by Jonathon's embrace. There, amidst the love and warmth of the Kent family, he let out all the grief.

* * *

CHLOE groaned as she stretched. She rubbed her sore forehead and looked around. It was the guest bedroom of the Kent house. She knew immediately because she and Pete had slept over here many, many times over the years, of course not in the same room though.

She swung her legs over the bed and managed to stand despite the pounding headache. She recollected her thoughts. What tha heck was she doing here? The last thing she remembered was…..was….well, nothing. All that she- Whoa! Wait a minute. The Bart kid! She had saved his life. The last thing she remembered was a gun being fired, right at her. If so, why tha hell was she still alive? Or was she alive. She pinched herself just for good measure and stalked over to the window.

She saw Clark stalk out of the barn, angrily. She grabbed her jacket off of the bed and ran out of the room after him.

CLARK was furious. Goddamit! They had sheltered him. Cared for him. Fed him. And this is the thanks they had got. He walked out in the Kent compound. He tried to calm himself down. He knew if he didn't, someone would get hurt. "Hey, Clark!" He turned to see Chloe hurrying towards him.

"Hey, Chloe." He answered, sullenly.

She slowed down to a brisk walk with a confused expression on her face. "Did I do something wrong," She asked, reffering to his exceptionally cold greeting.

"No," Clark replied, sticking his hands in to his jeans pockets. He forced a smile to his face. "How're you sticking up."

"You seriously do not wanna know." Chloe said pointing at her bandaged head.

Clark sighed. "That's good."

"So, not that I don't appreciate the hospitality, but how'd I get here?"

"Bart brought you. You saved his life, you know."

"Yeah, I remember." Chloe said, noting the distaste when he said the blonde boy's name. "So, what's crackin', cracker jack?"

"Excuse me?" Clark looked at her puzzled.

"Well, you were never really a 'jolly' ranger, but you were never ever Mr. Doom either. What's wrong, Clark. Are you o.k.?"

Clark swallowed. "Yeah, it's just that….."  
Chloe waited for a second, allowing him to get his bearing.

"Listen, Chloe," Clark started, "If someone lied to you about something, something that you expected them to tell you, and you trusted them, and it hurt you very much, what would you do?"

Chloe inwardly winced. Just like their situation. She was still hurting that Clark didn't have the guts to tell her about his big 'secret'.

"Well, I'd tell them how much it hurt me, and I'd let them know that they could tell me ANYTHING at all." She said meaningfully.

"Thanks," He said.

"I'm assuming this isn't about Lana?"

"No," Clark said. He remembered something. "Speaking of Lana…" He ran back to the house at a normal pace. Chloe shook her head in wonder.

* * *

CLARK pulled the truck in to SMALLVILLE MEDICAL CENTER and shut off the ignition. He had since dropped Chloe of at her car. He hadn't said one word to Bart. There was an awkward silence around the house, and all he could think of was getting out.

Clark got out of the truck and slipped the keys in to his pocket. Then he headed inside. The medical center wasn't a strange place to him. He had been here many times. He went to the top wing. He passed a couple of rooms and waved at a couple of familiar doctors and nurses. Lana wasn't on the Critical floor. So he headed downstairs to the directory and asked for Lana Lang and Jason Teague. Jason was in the Critical section though, and unconscious. Lana wasn't in a critical condition, but she was sleeping.

Clark entered the room. She was sleeping peacefully, her long beautiful hair around the pillow. He studied her sleeping. Then he approached the bed. He laid a pile of a dozen roses he had bought earlier beside her bed.

"There's some stuff I need to tell you, Lana." He said out loud. Though he felt a little weird talking to a sleeping person, he couldn't control himself. "You don't know how much I love you, Lana. Back in the Talon, I almost died when I saw you laying there, so helpless and alone. Oh, god, Lana. I wish there was something I could do to make up to you for the past four years. I've been in love with you since we were kids. I should have listened to Pete and Lex. I should have gone for you. I love you so much, Lana." He swallowed and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. Lana opened her eyes slowly. Tears were rolling down her eyelids, and she was shocked at what she had just heard.

"I love you too, Clark…." Lana said, as the tears ran down her cheeks.

* * *

METROPOLIS

The Luthor Corp helicopter landed on the helipad. Lex and Kristena stepped out. There was a man standing before them on the helipad. Kristena stuck out her hand. "Kristena… Kristena Hilda."

The man shook her hand. "I know who you are," He said to Lex. They shook hands.

"Doubtlessly." Lex said coolly. "Few people don't. The question is…. Who are you."

The man stuck out his hand. "Rafferty. Phillip Rafferty."


	9. ATTACK

**JESUS** Christ, Chloe, Where tha hell Have you been?" Chloe looked up in surprise as her cousin ran towards her.

Lois stopped in front of her cousin's car. She flipped her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed a couple of numbers. Chloe's cell phone rang.

"What tha hell! I thought your cell phone wasn't working."

"Ummm, no, Lois. I was just at the Kent's house."

"Smallville's house? You're really screwed up now, cuz. If you didn't want to answer, all you had to do was page me."

"Sorry," Chloe answered, feeling guilty because she was glade Lois had been worried, "Mrs. Kent and I were really busy."  
"What were you doing? Milking cows?"

"You girls of the city are so stereotypical. Not all farmer's wives spend their days inviting their friends for cups of tea and milking cows. I'll have you know that the Kent family is very sophisticated."

"Yeah," Lois said sarcastically, "Don't forget I lived with them for like… A month! In Smallville, there's not much else to do, you know? Hell, I had a little rubble with 'Bessie' myself. That thing tore my favorite shirt in to shreds. Clark must be some kind of Superman to do all that stuff himself."

"Yeah," Chloe said, "He must." And thus, they headed towards the house.

* * *

PHILLIP walked along the narrow hallway, his hand trembling slightly. He swallowed and looked back at the couple following him. Lex and Kristena were almost huddled together, talking about something. This was a chief part of his plan. If he screwed this up, there would be nothing left. 

"Here it is, Mr. Luthor." Phillip managed to croak out.

He was pointing to a small door.

"What are we waiting for then?" Lex asked, entering. Kristena entered behind him. Phillip Rafferty took a deep breath and entered the room that could literally make him or break him apart.

* * *

"NICE NIGHT FOR STARS, HUH?" Bart said entering the loft. 

Clark turned away from the telescope. He studied the approaching boy for a second then continued to study the stars. His eyes glittered in anticipation. Tonight, a famed comet was passing by Smallville. This was a once in a life time deal. This comet came by every fifty years. He sure wasn't gonna miss that.

Bart swallowed and pulled up a chair beside Clark. "Listen….I…"

"I don't want to hear it, Bart." Clark said coldly.

"Goddamit, give me a break! I don't do this often, you know?"

"Whatever you want to say, I don't care. My mom could have been killed because of you irresponsibility."

Bart stood up. "Listen, man, I'm sorry."

"Sorry!"

"Yes, I'm sorry! It was a mistake!"  
"A mistake that could have cost my parents their lives."

"But it didn't!"  
"You don't understand, do you?"  
"How can I understand!"

Clark stayed quite for a while. He finally sighed, "O.k., Bart, explain to me what happened."

Bart nodded. He dropped in to a sofa a few ft. away from Clark, "Thank you."

Clark turned away from the telescope to pay him full attention.

"The doctor," Bart began, "I told you, his name was Phillip Rafferty. He offered me money…to study me. I couldn't refuse, men. This wasn't the petty stuff. This was big cash. Ten grand for a week, men. I don't even steal that much. I couldn't refuse, know what I'm saying? I just…couldn't.

Clark swallowed, taking this in.

"O.k.?" he said weirdly.

"Anyway," Bart started again, "He took me in for some kind of blood test. He took some of my blood, my DNA, stuff like that. He kept me for a while. Longer than we had agreed on. I tried to escape, but he kept feeding me drugs. Like…….I would fall asleep then wake up bringing him bags of money. I don't know how. Please, men. You've got to believe me! I swear it."

"So, you really did rob those banks."

Bart nodded. "Not exactly something I'm proud of, but….I didn't do it on purpose."

"So….what happened after that."

"Well….he must have kept me….six or seven months. I dunno, men. They tortured me, they beat me, they did all kinds of experiments on me. I couldn't eat, sleep, nothing, man. They completely like…..brainwashed me."

Clark stood up, now pacing. "How am I supposed to believe you?"

Bart stood up, looking up at Clark. "I swear it, man. You don't know how guilty I feel. I couldn't lie about this too. Please believe me."

Clark nodded, for some reason believing him. "Go on."

"Anyway, this Doctor, one day she started coming. They would put me in a lab. Then warp me. They got a serum for the Rafferty guy. He started drinking it. My DNA was in it somehow. They would purge my fluids out of my body and put them in that serum. And that sick bastard drank it too. He drank it all."

"So….they removed cells of your DNA and made the serum."

"Very believable, I know."

Clark swallowed, listening.

"Then the female doctor, the one I told you about, she started doing things for me. Slipping me extra food, extra water, magazines, comic books. You know….the usual."

"So….she was helping you….after she tortured you for six months!"

"Well…she never really physically assaulted me. I was more like a lab rat than a prisoner. You know what I'm saying?"

Clark nodded, remembering the little fiasco with Morgan Edge.

"So….I got my strenght back you know."

"So she fed you."

"Yeah. Of course, Rafferty knew nothing about it. If he had known, he'd have killed both of us. She risked her life for me, Clark. I can never forget that."

"Did you ever get her name."

"Yeah. Chrissy. Chrissy Hilda."

* * *

"ARE you absolutely sure about this?" Lex asked for the 6th straight time. 

"Mr. Luthor," started Phillip, now a little frustrated, "You have the evidence in your hands, sir."

Lex studied the pictures again. They were flat out proof. Photos of Clark and Bart exiting the Kent farm together. He looked up, "So…..this kid is still staying with the Kents?"  
"Yes, sir." Phillip answered.

"Then what are you waiting for? Dispatch the team immediately." Lex stood up, contemplating this decision.

* * *

"So…..how did you escape?" Clark asked. They stood in the loft, drinking mugs of Martha Kent's hot cocoa and slices of chocolate cake. Bart stood thoughtfully for a moment, sipping his cup of delicious hot cocoa. He wiped a milk mustache of his upper lip and some chocolate frosting off his lower lip. 

"Kristina helped me." He said simply.

"Kristena? How?"

"She distracted the guard."

"How cliché."

"Yeah. It is, isn't it."

"How'd they find you?"

"I was stupid enough not to cover my wounds. They simply followed the trail of blood."  
"How'd you get to Smallville?"

"The small apple?" joked Bart. "They drugged me and I woke up in the Medical Center. I stayed their a few days, falling in and out of consciousness. Then, they brought me out. That's where you came in."

Clark put his hands on his waist, thinking deeply.

"There's something else, Clark."

Clark looked up, dreading the tone. "What is it?"

"No," said Bart, "It's nothing bad. It's just that….today, I saved Chloe's life."

"You what? How? She saved yours."

"No…they guy fired a shot at her. I pushed her out of the way."

"And I'm proud of you for that but……?"

"I super sped."

"You what?" Clark almost dropped his mug of hot cocoa. The burning hot liquid landed on his skin, though ineffectually. He felt nothing. "What? How?"

"Well. I was thinking real hard about how she saved my life and stuff, and how I had to do something in return and I couldn't just let her die. And I……super sped."

"Are you serious?" Clark asked incredulously.

"Yeah. I don't know how I did it. It just happened and everything froze up."  
"C'mon then." Clark grabbed Bart's arm. They walked out of the loft and out in to the vast compound. Cows were grazing about, eating grass and looking up at the beautiful night sky. They walked up to a free open spot where there were no cows about. Clark pointed out, "Go on….do it."

Bart shook his head. "I can't just, like……..do it, man."

"How'd you do it when you saved Chloe's life?"

"I was like………thinking how I owed her and stuff and how…." Bart smirked, "How hot she was."

Clark blushed a little and swallowed. "O.k.," He croaked out, "Think about that."

"It's not that easy, man."

"You want to be able to run again, Bart?"

"Of course I do!"

"Then we've got to do this."

Bart nodded reluctantly.

"Alright, Bart." Clark said. He came put his hands on Bart's shoulders. "Think about, Chloe. With all you can. Now, go!"

Bart accelerated, jogging. He slowed down a couple of yards away from where Clark was. Clark sighed. "This is going to be a long night."

* * *

THEY practiced deep in to the night, to no effect. Bart didn't speed up though he had healed considerably from when Clark had rescued him. Again and again they tried, with Clark proposing different subjects. Atlast, A glance at his watch told Clark it was 3:20 a.m. He turned to Bart. 

"Let's go." He said.

Bart grunted, disappointed in himself. "Sorry, Clark. I wasted your time."

"You didn't waste my time. I'm sure you would have done the same thing for me." Clark joked.

"Yeah, right."

They started towards the house.

Clark's Super Hearing was activated and he stopped in his tracks. The frequency stretched further out of the area, a few miles away, where it had never been able to go. But he heard things from afar. He turned his head towards the sounds. It sounded like rotors. He groaned. The sound was hurting his ears. Tears almost came to his eyes. He managed to get it under focus.

"You hear something, man?" Bart asked, a little puzzled.

"Yeah." Clark listened for a moment. "It sounds like…….a helicopter."

Clark heard voices then. A man was saying, "This Bart kid better be here, man. I better not be wasting my time. You heard Rafferty's orders. If anyone gets in our way, we kill them."  
"Oh, no!" Clark said. He turned to Bart.

"Bart," He said, "Somebody's coming for you."

"What?"

"I can hear them in a helicopter, man. They're coming!"

Clark heard the cock of a weapon. He turned to Bart. "And they've got guns!"

He turned back to the house. "I've got to get my parents before it's too late!"

In an instant, Clark was already at the bedroom door. He pounded the door and it opened to reveal a very tired Jonathon Kent. "What's up, Clark?" He managed, exhausted.

"Dad, Mom, You've got to get out of here!" Clark yelled. "Someone's coming after Bart. Please, just go!"

Martha came to the door. "What's going on out here?" She yawned.

"Please, just go!"

"Clark, what's going on!"

"I don't have time to explain. Just get dressed and go!"

"Alright, son." Jonathon said. He and Martha hastily dressed and were out of the house door in less than a minute.

Martha turned to Clark. "How exactly do we go? After your little accident with the brakes, we can't go anywhere."

Clark looked around, thinking. He listened. The helicopter was getting closer, maybe a mile away. It would be here in a few minutes. He turned to Jonathon. "Dad," He said, "Do you still have your motorcycle."

Jonathon nodded. "Yeah, it's in the barn."

Clark disappeared and was instantly back, carrying the motorcycle over his head. He put it on the ground.

"The keys?" Jonathon asked.

Clark dropped the keys in to Jonathon's hands. Clark looked around. "Bart!" He called out. Bart arrived running. "Go with them." Clark said, pointing to the motorcycle. Bart nodded. He and Martha hopped on the motorcycle behind Jonathon. Jonathon tried started the ignition and looked back at Clark. It wasn't working. Clark was staring, towards the sound, and focusing. His sight was instantly magnified. He saw the helicopter coming from miles and miles away. He was shocked to see another helicopter coming from behind it. He saw the insides of the helicopters through the windshields. One had two people in it, the other had seven. One he recognized, but from where? There were no logos on the helicopters.

"Hurry, Dad!" Clark yelled, turn it on.

"I'm trying!" Jonathon snapped.

Clark knew the helicopter would be here any minute. For the next few minutes, they tried desperately to work the motorcycle. Atlast, Jonathon kicked it in to ignition. Clark backed away.

"Be careful, son." He said.

"We love you." Martha said as the motorcycle zoomed off.

Clark watched them go for a minute. Then he turned to the skies. The helicopters were just arriving. One came after him but the other zoomed after the motorcycle.

"No!" Clark yelled. He was about to go after it, but a hand grabbed him around the waist and threw him a few yards away. He landed with a thump on the ground and looked up at the grinning Phillip Rafferty. The helicopter landed and six men carrying rifles got out. They were all big.

Clark looked at Phillip questioningly.

Phillip nodded, confirming Clark's worst fears. "Yes, I'm alive."

Clark swallowed.

Phillip pointed back to the men. "And this are my spawns of hell."

And with that, the seven men rushed at Clark, ready to kill him at any cost.

* * *

JONATHON was pushing the motorcycle to it's maximum speed. He looked back at the helicopter. It was getting closer. It was getting ready to shoot. With that, Bart made a desperate decision. He couldn't let these people die because of him! He pushed off and flipped back off the motorcycle, landing with a thump on the ground as the motorcycle zoomed off.

"Bart!" Martha cried out. She turned back.

"We can't stop!" Jonathon yelled.

Martha nodded helplessly, looking back at the fallen boy. Bart smiled reassuringly at her, showing more confidence than he felt. The motorcycle zoomed out of sight. The helicopter stopped beside Bart.

The pilot turned to the sniper. "That's the target," He shouted pointing at Bart.

"I know dumb ass!" And with that, the sniper unleashed a hail of machine gun bullets at Bart. Bart looked around at the explosions around him and sighed. With one last thought which was Chloe, he rushed at his fiery fate.


	10. RAID

**BART** closed his eyes, breathing hard. He shivered, awaiting his impending death. He swallowed. And swallowed again. "Shouldn't I be dead by now?" Bart whispered to himself. He opened his eyes. The world around himseemed frozen. The bullets were frozen in midair. The helicopter was frozen. The pilot was frozen. Bart was in super speed mode! Bart's Super speed was great this time, going at one of the fastest rates he had ever gone. The bullets whizzed past him and he easily zipped around and ducked them.

Bart looked up. The frozen helicopter was right above him. He ran and jumped up superhumanly high in to the air. He landed on the entrance. Not a second had passed! The bullets were still frozen. He turned to the sniper. He hammered him in the face and jumped off the helicopter, landing on the ground.

Time returned to normal speed. Blood flew out of the sniper's lip as he stumbled and fell out of the helicopter, right in to Bart's arms. Bart caught him, and hammered him in the face, then let him drop to the ground. "Sweet dreams." He quipped.

"Oh, shit!" The pilot yelled. He tried to flee. "Back up! Jesus Christ! Send me some goddamned back up!" Bart smiled. He cracked his knuckles. He jumped and landed in the helicopter.

"Hey, buddy!" He said. The pilot stood up and lunged for Bart. In an instant, Bart was behind him. Bart reared back and slammed the man in the back with his shoulders. The pilot flew out of the helicopter and bounced on to the grass below.

Bart went to the controls. He barely managed to land the plane. Though he did, it was a very rough landing. When it landed, Bart jumped out of the airplane, swaggering towards the wounded men mockingly. "Miss me?" He quipped.

* * *

THEY were strong, Clark thought as the 1st blow smashed in to him and sent him back ten ft. in to the air. Very strong.

"Hey, sweetheart." Said Phillip, appearing behind Clark. He picked him up and body slammed him. Clark jumped up, getting in to a fighting stance. He decided to use his speed. Clark's Super speed was no match for Phillip. Phillip zipped at him and hammered him in the groin. Another one of the soldiers bent low and upper cutted him. Clark flew up and landed against the fence, breaking a link in it.

Clark stood up slowly. He swallowed. Two soldiers were coming towards him. The 1st one missed the blow. Clark hammered him in the chest, sending him flying high in to the air. The 2nd one was luckier. He picked Clark up and slammed him frantically in to the ground. Clouds of dust and soil flew around, staining Clark's shirt. When the man was done with him, he easily tossed him away.

Clark stood up, very pissed. Another man came at him. Clark caught the man and circled around. Then, Clark threw the man across the entire farm and on to the road. Clark zipped at another soldier. The soldier fired his weapon frantically.

The bullets bounced off Clark. Clark smiled. "Yeah, it's possible."

He zipped up to the man and smashed him in the face. The man's neck bended back unnaturally, breaking. Then, all of a sudden, it healed back, snapping back in to place, setting back to normal. Clark gaped at him. The man grinned, "Yeah, it's possible."

He hammered Clark in the jaw then in the stomach. Clark rolled back. He looked around for a weapon. Clark zipped out. "Coward!" Phillip called after him, preparing to go after him. In two seconds, Clark returned. Clark held the electric pole from earlier over his head. Clark swung it around, smashing it in to the seven men, sending them flying. But no matter how hard and how often they were hit, they all returned, even the man that had been thrown out of the farm. Clark was getting incredibly frustrated. "What are they?" He shouted at Phillip.

"They're robots. You can't kill them. It would take a Man of Steel to destroy them."  
"Oh, yeah!" Clark shouted. "Watch this!"

A robot ran at him. Clark jumped over him, grabbed him around the waist, and body slammed him so hard that his parts split apart, bouncing around the farm. Clark watched, shocked, as the parts slowly began to reassemble.

"What tha hell?" Clark cried, before a blow sent him flying in to the air. He smashed in to the ground. He stood up slowly. Suddenly, Phillip appeared in front of him. He was again thrown and he landed against the fallen helicopter, falling through the glass. Clark got out, frustrated. He turned to the helicopter. Clark hefted up the huge helicopter and threw it at one of the robots. It smashed in to his body, sending him flying back. Clark super sped and hit him in the chest. He flew back again, disintegrating, and reintegrating again. He stood up slowly.

"Why won't you die?" Clark yelled angrily and focused his vision.

Clark's Heat Vision blasted out of his eyes, spewing fire, and his fiery heat rays blasted in to the ground, trees, and the whole compound, sending up huge fire flames. The farm was suddenly alight with flames, but Clark wasn't fully rational, as he was overcome with rage. Clark aimed and sent a heat beam at the helicopter. The beam blasted in to the helicopter and it exploded, sending the helicopter high in to the air. The explosion sent Phillip and the robots flying. Clark continued shooting his heat rays, desperately trying to hit his targets. A heat ray sent the tractor exploding in to the air and it landed on a robot, crushing beyond repair.

"You goddamned bastard!" Phillip yelled as he zipped towards Clark. He smashed him in the chest and Clark flew back. Then Phillip reached in to his coat. "I know your weakness, Clark." He said. "Did you think I'd never figure it out?" He pulled a long, thick kryptonite blade out and zipped up to Clark.

Clark instantly began to weaken as his veins turned green. "No!" He yelled out.

Phillip zipped towards him, brandishing the kryptonite. Clark closed his eyes. 1,2,3. He should be feeling a lot more pain by now. What's going on. He opened his eyes. Phillip was gone and he had been blown back a few yards.

* * *

TIME seemed to freeze. Bart's Super speed still didn't seem good enough. Phillip was gaining on Clark. With one blow from that kryptonite blade, Clark could instantly be killed.

"Not on my watch," Bart whispered to himself. He threw himself at Phillip.

Phillip turned, just as Bart speared him. The two speedsters had both been going over light speed so the collision was tremendous! Time waves split through the air so that any normal human being, apart from the two speedsters of course, had been there, they would instantly have been permanently deafened.

The collision sent them approaximatley 30 ft. in to the air. Luckily for Bart, Phillip took most of the pain of the landing. Phillip landed on to his back with a thud and Bart's light body bounced off and was thrown across the ground.

Phillip stood up weakly the same time Bart did. The two nemesis faced each other. Phillip was shocked.

"I…I."

"Yeah. I know right. I can still do it." Bart sped up and smashed Phillip in the face. He instantly clutches his fist, cursing.

"Yes, but can you do this?" Phillip grabbed him and instantly tossed him six ft. in to the air. Bart bounced on to the ground, groaning. Phillip approached Bart. He held the sword over his head. Bart looked groggily at a steel pipe a few ft. away. Phillip followed the direction of his gaze. Bart instantly appeared behind him, holding the pipe.

Using his super speed, Bart struck him repeatedly.

Phillip stumbled back, holding up his arms, trying to stop the blows.

It wasn't Bart's strenght. The speed of the attack caused such pain, so quick and swift, unbearable to even Phillip.

Atlast, Phillip caught the pipe. He twisted it in to a ring and tossed it far in to the air.

Bart grinned as it was coming towards earth. Time froze. Bart super sped and caught the ring. Phillip stood, frozen in time though there were small motions coming from him because he was super speeding too. Bart instantly realized something. He was still faster than Phillip! He could use this to his advantage! He zipped at Phillip and repeatedly hit him.

"No, No, stop, please!" Phillip cried as Bart tossed the ring around him. Phillip easily tore it off him, but when he looked up, Bart was already twenty yards away.

Bart saluted as he super sped away. Phillip zipped after him, noting that Bart's super speed far exceeded his own.

WHEN the helicopter pulled up behind them, neither Jonathon, nor Martha were very surprised at all. Jonathon Kent had had some very crazy experiences with this motorcycle. He handled it well, expertly avoiding the bullets while trying to keep his wife calm. It was one the 3 other helicopters pulled up that he noted they had a problem. "Jonathon!" Martha screamed.

* * *

CLARK heard his mother's voice. The anguish, she was so scared. He could take it no more. He grabbed the nearest robot. He smashed the robot frantically against the street at super speed so hard that the parts were crushed. Then he threw it far in to air. The parts landed with a thud against the ground. They were too irreparable, even for Rafferty.

Clark's Super speed at this moment was so great at the sound of his mother's anguish, that had he really, really, really put his mind to it, if they raced, Bart would only beat him by about thirty yards. He zipped off after the helicopters with hell in his wake.

* * *

"NO! NO!" Martha screamed, grabbing around Jonathon's waist so hard that he could barely breathe.

"Martha, Martha! I can't breathe." Jonathon wheezed out. He turned, just in time to see the bullet heading straight at his head. Even a superman couldn't have dodged a bullet that close, or could he?

* * *

"NO!" Clark yelled. Time was still. The bullet. He was just inches away from the bike. If he could just reach out and catch the bullet, everything would be alright. Suddenly, Clark began to feel weak. There was kryptonite around here somewhere! He stumbled and fell and saw the bullet inch closer. There was nothing he could do. A tear froze at his eyelids.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew him away. Clark landed on the ground, praying.

* * *

BART was ahead of Clark in a second. Bart was going incredibly fast. He had long left Phillip behind. The bullet was inching closer towards Jonathon. They were going on the highway. There was only one thing he could do, and it was very risky. But he couldn't lose Mr. Kent. Not since it was his fault.

The bullet was now exactly a centimeter away from entering Jonathon's forehead. Bart dived with all his strenght. He collided with the bike and Jonathon. The bike lost control. It veered off the road and off the highway. Martha closed her eyes as the water below sped towards them.

The water was so far down, was the last thing they all thought before they lost conscious. The water was so far down, that if the boy hit it, they would all instantly be killed. The bike dropped towards the water.

* * *

CLARK froze as he saw the bike going slowly. He thought about Bart. About something Bart had showed him before. Something he had practiced day and night. He watched his family fall towards their deaths. And without a thought, Clark Kent sped towards the water.

Clark opened his eyes as he super sped. He almost cried out in joy. He was running on water! He sped across the ocean. Only after he had long passed them, did the water begin to splash, showing his great speed. The bike fell towards the water slowly. Clark was slipping slowly, going underwater. With one last motion, Clark jumped up superhumanly high in to the air. The bike fell slowly, so slowly. Clark was practically flying. He screamed. He could almost get them. With all his strenght he reached out….and clutched the bike's edge. They flew across the ocean and landed roughly on the other side. The bike bounced up and then rested. Clark stood up in his dust covered shirt. He lifted Martha who had thankfully suffered no injuries. He shook her awake.

"Oh, my god." She said groggily. He held on to her so she could regain her balance. Then he let her stand by herself. She went for Jonathon and Bart. "Jonathon! Bart!" She screamed. They stirred awake. Clark helped Bart up. The side of Bart's head was lacerated and covered with blood, but he could stand o.k.

"Ugh," he groaned rubbing his head, "I need a Tylenol so damn bad right now!"

Clark tried to help Jonathon up, but his father groaned. Clark let him down and pulled up the jeans pants leg. He turned to look at Martha. "What's wrong with his leg, mom?"

Martha bent down and studied it. She turned to Clark and sighed relieved. "It's not broke. Just dislocated."

Clark nodded as Martha and Bart stood behind him. He grabbed Jonathon's leg with a single hand. "Close your eyes, dad." He said sadly.

"What?" Jonathon asked, "Why do I have to-?"

Clark twisted his wrist lightly and pulled Jonathon's leg back in to socket. Jonathon screamed out in dismay and almost let out a string of obscenities. Martha took his head in her lap as his whole body shook and tears came to his eyes. She looked up at Clark, "He'll be o.k., son."  
After a few minutes, Jonathon finally quieted down. He turned to Bart and cleared his throat, his head still in his wife's lap. He held out his hand. Bart took it.

"Thank you, son." Jonathon said, "You saved my life."

Bart nodded and Jonathon pulled him, Martha, and Clark in to a hug.

* * *

"SO, MR. KENT, WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED HER AGAIN?" Sheriff Addams said, writing in to her notepad. Clark cleared his throat. There were dozens of firefighters, cops, and reporters around the Kent home. Appearantly, the fire had been seen for a few miles around.

"We don't know yet, Sheriff." Clark said, averting his eyes.

"Now you listen to me, troublemaker," Sheriff Addams said, pointing at him, "You've had a short history of arsenry. Ms. Lang almost got hurt that time in the Talon. I think you did it, Kent, and when I find out proof, I'm hauling your ass to court, understand me?"

Clark swallowed and nodded. Addams now turned to Martha, who was standing right next to Clark. "Have a nice day, ma'am." She said leaving.

Martha followed her. "What do you have against Clark?"

Addams turned, "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. You obviously hate him."

Addams shook her head. "I don't hate him," she said, shaking her head, "Clark Kent is one of the most admirable, courageous, and adorable kids I've ever known. I'm even a little fond of him. If you tell him though, I'm suing you for slander." And with that, she walked away.

A few yards away, Clark stood, listening, and shocked. Slowly, a smile crept on to his face.

LEX watched the news from his office. He sipped his glass of vodka and grunted, frustrated. He hadn't expected anything better from that Rafferty guy. You want something done, do it yourself. But Lex Luthor couldn't blow it with Clark this time. He had to make another plan, and quick.

* * *

LANA stood in the room watching Jason sleep. She sighed as he breathed in and out, the wounds still healing on his discolored face.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in." Lana said.

Chloe entered holding a bunch of flowers. "Hi, Lana."

Lana hugged her. "Hey, Chloe." She said, taking the flowers. "Thanks for the flowers, they're beautiful." Chloe nodded.

Lana was surprised when Lois entered. "Hey, Lois." She said.

Lois nodded towards her. "Hey…..Umm…..Lara?"

Lana nodded awkwardly. "It's um….Lana."

"Yeah."

"How's Jason holding up?" Chloe asked.

"Oh, great." Lana said, "And…."

* * *

THEY all stood inside conversing, oblivious to Seth Hanison who was standing outside. He listened then called in to Phillip. "Phillip," Seth started. "The girl and her boyfriend are still alive. Something's gotta be done about this." 


	11. VISIT

**INFACT**, Bart did get that Tylenol. Martha had followed Jonathon to the Medical Center and had left the two speedsters at home.

"Atlast." Bart said, popping the pill smoothly in to his mouth and quickly guzzling a glass of water. He wiped some off his lip and rudely burped.

Clark raised an eyebrow, shook his head, and sipped out of his talon coffee. He looked around the house and sighed. Thank goodness the fire hadn't touched the house. About 25 of the grass outside was burnt but Bart had already run to the store to get some grass seeds. They had already been watered, but it might be a while before they got their grass back.

"So, what're we having for dinner?" Clark asked.

Bart produced a bag of Enchiladas. "Straight from Mexico." He said truthfully. He was wasting no time in flaunting his abilities.

Clark shook his head, amused, and bit in to his meal.

"Mmmh," Bart said, licking meat sauce off his fingers.

Clark smiled. Bart slowly began to notice something. He waved at his mouth, gasping as tears began to run out of his mouth. He looked at the Enchilada. There was hot sauce dripping over the sides! He turned to Clark. "You wouldn't!" He said it mock anger.

"Wouldn't what?" Clark asked innocently.

Bart breathed deeply. He got some ice out of the freezer and a pitcher of water. He hastily made himself iced water and drank deeply.

"I'm gonna get you back for that!" Bart yelled playfully.

Clark smiled. "Catch me if you can."

Bart raised an eyebrow, and in an instant, they were gone.

* * *

PHILLIP watched the newscast, calmly sipping from a glass of Irish Cream and smoking a cigarette. He savored the rich, creamy taste for a moment and turned back to the six men before him.

They all stood awkwardly and scared, eyes down.

Phillip was a little amused for a second. Then he turned back serious. "Why exactly didn't you go after them?" He asked coolly.

They were silent for a moment.

Phillip instantly appeared before them and slapped one of them. The man stumbled back as blood ran down his cut lip. His eyes turned fiery for a moment before he remembered who he was dealing with. Then, his attitude turned back to passive.

"We thought they were dead." One of the pilots stupidly spoke up. "I assumed that- ''

"Don't tell me you don't know what happens when you assume, soldier."

The pilot cleared his throat. "I make an ass out of-?"

In a moment, a blow from Phillip sent him flying across the room and through the wooden wall. His body bounced with a thud on the other side and then his body lay still, motionless.

The soldiers were all immediately frightened.

"Any other volunteers?" Phillip asked.

They all swallowed and shook their heads.

"Good. Get out."

* * *

LANA was still watching. Jason lay motionless, breathing hard.

Lois and Chloe had left about two hours ago. Lana sighed. There was another knock on the door. "C'mon in." Lana said.

Clark entered. "Hey, Lana." He said awkwardly.

This brought a smile to her face.

"Hey, Clark." She said.

"Umm, Lois and Chloe told me about the accident."

"Yeah, like, The whole Talon is leveled."

"I passed by today. Their rebuilding it."

"Lex." Lana acknowledged. "He called me earlier."

"Are you o.k.?"

"A few bruises here and there, but hey, I'm glad I'm alive."

He forced a smile. Then he revealed a small paper bag.

"I ummm, brought you lunch."

* * *

THEY ate in the Medical Center's cafeteria. It was a welcoming change for Lana from the terrible hospital food. She eagerly devoured Martha's Chinese rice and Chicken wings, then wiped grease of her lips with a napkin. Clark gawked. Lana smiled uncomfortably.

"Don't act like you've never seen a girl eat before."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

"Oh, ummm, no problem. Thanks for bringing the food, Clark."

Clark nodded, pleased with himself, and bit in to a delicious piece of chicken.

"You know," Lana said between bites, "Your mom should have her own restaurant."

"I know. But I wouldn't want to share her cooking with anybody except for you." Clark said jokingly, but it came out quite another way to Lana.

"I really appreciate this, Clark." She said deeply.

Clark swallowed. "It was nothing."

Lana nodded thankfully.

"Do you want a drink?" Clark asked.

"Oh, sure. Thanks."

Clark nodded. He stood up and made his way to the soda machine. He slipped in $2 and took out two Mountain Dews. Then he made his way back to the table. He landed Lana her Mountain Dew.

She popped it open and gulped some down. "Ahhh!" She said when she was done.

Clark watched her, amused.

* * *

PHILLIP was sitting in the café' across the street from the hospital. There was a special bug in the girl's room. There must still be in the cafeteria. When tha hell would they get back to the room? Jesus Christ. Teenagers these days.

He sipped at his vanilla latte and wiped a milk moustache off his upper lip. Then he burped. He removed the earpiece and set it down on the table. This was proving to be pointless. He slammed his fist down again, almost breaking the coffee table in the process. This whole goddamned day was turning in to shit. All of it. The kid had gotten his abilities back. Godamit, this WHOLE plan was turning to shit.

"Hey, Rafferty." Phillip turned to the limo that had just pulled up on the curb. Lex Luthor sat inside, calmly sipping a bottle of Powerade. "Let's have a little talk."

Phillip smiled. "Very well." He backed up so Lex could come out. Together, they walked in to the café and dropped in to seats across from each other. A slim, beautiful young woman walked up to the table.

"Can I take your order?" Lois Lane asked, looking at her pad.

Lex was surprised. "Lois?"

Lois looked up, startled. "Oh," She said dryly, "It's you."

"What are you doing here?" Lex asked, ignoring the obvious distaste in her voice.

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Are you always this welcoming to your guests?"

"You're not my guest. You simply want something to drink so I'm here. Get on with it then, Luthor."

Lex nodded. "So courteous you are, Ms. Lane. I'll be sure to mention yours hospitality to the owner."

"Whatever."

"I'm sensing enemnity." Phillip commented.

"Good for you." Lois quipped. She took out a pen. "Now, let me take your order." She smiled sweetly.

"O.k.," Phillip said looking down at the menu, " I'll have a meal of scrambled eggs, bacon, and Hawaiian pancakes."

Lois wrote down the order. She turned to Lex.

Lex smiled. There was silence for a moment.

Lois was pissed off. "Listen, Luthor, Unlike the other pricks around Smallville I really don't give a hot damn that your daddy's a millionaire. Either order, or I'm walking away, understand me?"

Lex smiled. "How did we get off on such a bad foot, Lois?"

"Ms. Lane to you." Lois snapped.

"Ms. Lane? Must we really be so formal?"

"Listen here. We're not buddies, nothing, never going to be. Never have been. So give me your order, or I'll-''

"You'll what?"

Lois groaned. "Whatever. Let's make this easy, Luthor. Give me your order or I'm moving on."

Lex smiled in a flirting manner. "What if I don't want you to move on?"

"What if I really couldn't care less?"

"Alright, Lois, I'll-''

"Ms. Lane, Luthor."

"Very well. Ms. Lane. I'll have a French Vanilla coffee, French toast, and Scrambled eggs. Happy now?" Lois was gone before he could finish his sentence.

Phillip snickered. "Quite a way you have with the ladies, Lex."

"I know, I got it from my father."

* * *

"BYE, Lana." Clark said for the last time.

Lana waved at him. "Thanks for coming, Clark. I really enjoyed myself."

"I enjoyed myself too."

Lana nodded. "Bye." And she entered the room and closed the door behind her. Then she leaned back against it, thinking. Clark smiled. Then he made his way off the floor and down two more flights, to where his dad was. Jonathon and Martha were inside, watching a Shark's game.

"Hey, Dad." Clark said entering.

"Hey, son." Jonathon forced a smile.

"How're you doing?' Clark asked, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Oh, I'm great. I can finally move my legs now."

"Great. Who's winning?"

"I don't know," Martha said, "But I'm glad your father has someone else to watch the game with." She kissed Jonathon's cheek and headed out, clapping Clark's shoulder. "I'm going to the cafeteria."

Jonathon and Clark shared a warm smile. They knew how much Martha hated football and it had taken a while before she had finally come around to letting Clark play on his High School Football team.

"So, where's Bart?" Jonathon asked.

"Oh, he's somewhere in Kansas." Clark said truthfully.

Jonathon nodded his head, amused. "I'm assuming he spared little time in using his abilities?"  
"No time at all, dad."

Clark grabbed a chair and sat down beside the bed.

"How're the Sharks doing?" Clark asked.

"Oh, they're leading by two touchdowns."

"Really?" Clark stood up happily. "I thought they were going to lose this one!"

"So did I." Jonathon chuckled.

"Oh!" Clark said, bringing out a bottle of Orange Soda. He handed it to Jonathon.

Jonathon rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Clark. I asked for a beer!"

"You know what Mom said." Clark replied, "If she even knew I was giving you this, she'd have my head!"

Jonathon nodded. "Thanks, son."

Clark opened the cap and handed Jonathon the bottle. Jonathon eagerly gulped it down. He sighed happily, then handed the bottle to Clark. Clark went down the hall and dumped the bottle. It wouldn't do to keep proof lying around. After that, he headed back in.

* * *

"YOU really, really screwed up, Rafferty." Lex said.

"I know, Mr. Luthor." Rafferty admitted.

"And you tried to kill them! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I didn't try to kill them. The little bastard resisted. You said if anyone got in the way, to kill them."

"No, I said to eliminate the threat, not the person."

"It's kind of hard to do the first without doing the latter."

"Yes, but I paid you extra for that."

"I know, Mr. Luthor. And I'm sorry for that."

"Sorry? Now the kid knows we're after him. And sorry is all you can say?"

"There was really nothing I could do, Mr. Luthor."

Lex shook his head and bit in to his eggs. Phillip watched him nervously.

"Pass the salt." Lex said. Phillip handed it to him and he tapped some lightly in to his food. Then, he bit in to his eggs again.

"Are my services still required, Mr. Luthor?"  
"Yes, unfortunately. I need you."

Phillip sighed gladly.

"I'm only letting you away with this one screw up, Phillip. You understand me?"

"Yes, sir."

"And you really messed up the farm, you know?"

"Yes, sir, but it was….." He couldn't tell Lex that Clark had been responsible for the farm fire just yet. He needed to have an upper hand. He had his secrets to keep. He would let Lex Luthor know when he thought it was the right time.

"But?"

"But nothing, sir."

"O.k., Phillip. I don't want this publicized. I want your men all over Smallville looking for Bart Allen. I'll check out the Kent Farm by myself tomorrow."  
"Yes, sir."

"Were there any casualties?"

Phillip couldn't talk about his robots either. "No, sir. Some pilots were injured, but nothing big."

"Assuming-and I'm assuming because you don't strike me as very bright- that the pilots were in the plane, how tha hell were they injured?"

"The Bart kid, sir."

"Ahhh, I see."

Phillip sipped his drink nervously.

"This," Lex said, "Is a full scale investigation."

Phillip nodded understandingly. "Yes, sir."

"I don't want anybody to find out about this."

"Yes, sir."

"If there's a leak, I want it plugged."

"Yes, sir."  
"If anybody looks like they're about to let it slip, getting rid of them."  
"Yes-''

"And stop saying Yes, sir."

With that, Lex was out of his seat and the café. His limo driver opened the door for him and he dropped in to the back seat. The driver made his way to the front of started the ignition. Lex stared at Phillip before his car zoomed off."

Phillip watched him go, then made his way in to an alley. He looked around to make sure no one was watching, then he zipped off.

* * *

LOIS had gone after the 2 to remind them they had forgotten the tip, even though it wasn't mandatory. She dropped the mugs that were in her hands as she witnessed the man super speed away. "Mother of God." She breathed out. 


	12. REDISCOVERY

**"Hey, Smallville!"** Clark instantly jerked awake. He was in his room. He instantly jerked awake, throwing the covers off. He looked up, squinting. Lois strode in to the room. She almost tripped over Krypto, the dog, who was sleeping beside Clark.

"Pesky mutt!" Lois snapped.

Krypto looked up with puppy eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Clark asked, embarrassed that he was only wearing boxers.

Lois appreciated his hard abs for a moment then clapped her hands. "Wake up, sunshine. It's Monday, which means there's school today. And what tha hell happened outside. Your grass is like…nonexistent."

"Why are you here?"

"Very friendly in the morning, aren't you farm boy?"  
"I repeat, why are you here?"  
"Ms. Kent asked me to come. To make sure you had someone to take care of you."

"Take care? I'm not a baby."  
"You are now." She tore the covers off him and tossed them over Krypto. He barked, then went back to sleep. "Get up!" She yelled at Clark. She grabbed his ears and pulled him in to a standing position. "Breakfast will be ready when you get down." She said.

Clark yawned. "Where's Bart?"

"Bart? Who's Bart?"

"The kid who was here."

"Oh, him. He's already gone."

Clark stood up, alarmed. "Gone."

"Yeah. He went out with Chloe."

"Chloe? Where'd they go?"

"How am I supposed to know? I'm not a mind reader."  
Clark shook his head.

She punched him in the chest. "Now get ready, Smallville."

With that, she walked out of the room. She breathed deeply. The event still shook her. Just, seeing the man disappear like that. She shook her head. She had to get this off her chest to somebody, but whom? She headed down the stairs towards the kitchen.

* * *

"ARE you sure you won't get in trouble for skipping?" Bart asked.

"Nope, I'm sure." Chloe pulled her car in to the driveway for the Sullivan house. "Besides, Dad's not home."

"Are you sure we couldn't do anything other than……the Torch thing in the house?" Bart asked slyly.

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Listen, sport," She said, ruffling his blonde hair, "Maybe in another ten years, when you've actually passed puberty, o.k.?"

"I have passed it." Bart said jokingly.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

Bart smiled seductively, "Wanna find out?"

Chloe shook her head. "You're one in a million, Bart."  
He smiled.

They got out of the car and headed towards the house.

* * *

CLARK had hastily bathed and dressed in a red flannel shirt and blue jeans. His long, soft hair had grown considerably, Lois noted. She shook her head. C'mon, this is Smallville we're talking about here.

"Need a ride?" She asked him. She bit in to her omelets, and in an instant, had tossed it in to the garbage can. "Ahhh, disgusting!"

"Now you know how we feel." Clark said.

"Ha, ha, ha, Smallville. You're hilarious. Stick to the cows."

Clark smirked.

"Need a ride, farm boy?"  
Clark shook his head.

"Good, cuz I just had by car cleaned." She grabbed her car keys out of her pocket and head out.

"You know what?" Clark called. "I think I do."

Lois rolled her eyes. He followed her out to her SUV.

"If I find any cow droppings in my car, Smallville, I'll roast your ass."  
"Very mature, Lois."  
They entered the car and Lois started the ignition.

"Listen, Smallville. When I drive, you keep your head down. My reputation will be nonexistent if they find out I'm riding with you, o.k.?"

"Reputation?" Clark asked. "C'mon, you're riding with the Smallville football captain."

"Don't let it get to your head, Farm boy. I still think you throw like a girl."  
Lois drove off.

"Very supportive, Lois."

"I know," She quipped.

Clark looked back at the Kent farm before they left.

* * *

THEY entered Chloe's room. Bart looked around.

"I'm impressed, Chloe."

She turned, puzzled. "Why?"  
"Because you have every newspaper in here from 1896."

"1907, actually." Chloe said truthfully.

Bart shook his head. "Alright, Chloe. What was so urgent that you wanted to show me?"  
She sat him down at her computer. She turned it on. Then she turned to look at him.

"This might be a little hard to handle, Bart."

"Bring it on." He said confidently.

"O.k." She said, and opened up the file.

* * *

THEY were late to school. Lois had been stopped for going over to speed limit. Thus, they both received after school detentions.

"Good job, Lois."

"Stuff it, Smallville." She said, pushing him aside and running in to the school.

Clark shook his head and made his way to Science.

"Hello, Mr. Kent." Ms. Finster said as he entered. The whole class turned to stare at him.

"Hello, Ms. Finster." He said nervously.

"And why, exactly, are you late?"  
"Ummm, you see, I-''

"Don't particularly care, Kent. How does an after school detention suit you?"

"Ms., ummm, Finster. There was a fire at the farm."

"Farm Boy!" Someone called out and the whole class erupted in laughter.

Clark blushed.

Ms. Finster shook her head, "Listen, Kent, I'm sorry about the farm incident but that shouldn't stop you from getting to school on time, should it?"  
Clark shook his head. "No, ma'am."

"And you're sorry, aren't you?"

"Yes, ma'am." Clark looked up hopefully. Maybe there was a chance he wouldn't get a detention.

"And you won't do it again, will you?"

"No, ma'am."

"And you'll always be on time."  
"Yes, ma'am."

"Good, be here immediately after school."

The class erupted in to the laughter again. Clark dropped in to his seat, embarrassed. Mrs. Finster smiled sweetly at him. She had never liked the Kent boy. Jonathon should have been hers. And then that hussy Martha had stolen him from her. She loved to embarrass Clark.

The rest of the class went by normally. Clark had done his homework in Lois's car so she couldn't hurt him for that. After class, Clark headed straight for his locker. He was doing his combination when someone tapped on his shoulder.

"Hey, Clark." Lana said.

He breathed in. She looked so much better than she had at the hospital.

"Hey, Lana." He said. "I thought you'd still be at the Medical Center."

"Funny how things turn out." She said.

"How's Jason?" He asked, getting some books out of his locker.

"Oh, he's doing great. He woke up this morning."

"Yeah? That's great for him." She noticed the disappointed tone in his voice, but chose not to comment. It felt kind of good, to have the boy of her dreams jealous.

Lana sighed, "Sorry about the beating you took from Ms. Finster."  
"She never liked me."

"No, she didn't." They walked along the hallway to their next class.

"Thanks for the reassurance, Lana." Clark said jokingly.

"No problem."  
Lana looked around. "Where's Chloe?"

Clark had been wondering the same thing all day. "Oh, I haven't seen her?"

"Have you asked Lois?"  
Clark didn't want to lie to Lana but he didn't want anyone to find out about Bart either. He had only been unlucky that Lois had found out.

"No." He said.

They made their way in to the class room.

"See you later, Lana." Clark breathed.

She smiled up at him and kissed him on the cheek. Then she made her way a few rows up to her seat. Clark stared, breathless. He swallowed and rubbed his cheek where she had touched him.

"Hey, Farm boy. Get a life!" A teenager had been the source of the insult. Clark turned towards the newest kid at Smallville High, Kevin Granger. He was atleast 6ft. 8 inches and 325 pounds. He was also a month away from his 20th birthday. He had failed three grades. He was bald with a very chubby figure.

Clark ignored him.

"Farm boy, I'm talking to you." Kevin pushed his shoulder lightly.

Clark contented himself with the thought that he could literally break this kid in half if he wanted to. He breathed deeply. He turned to look at Lana. She was shaking her head. "No, please, no." She whispered under her breath.

He heard her. He couldn't get in to a fight this early in the day. So he studied his hands.

"I'm talking to you, you little piece of crap." Kevin stood in front of his desk.

Clark swallowed. The pen he had in his hands shook.

"Listen, you stupid little fu-''

"Why don't you just leave him alone?" Lana strode up to the scene, crossing her arms.

"What, you need your girlfriend to fight for you now?" Kevin asked snidely.

Clark stood up. "Leave Lana out of this."

"Leave Lana out of this." Kevin mimicked. "I'll talk about her anyway I want."  
"No, you won't." Clark said threateningly.

"Oh, yeah?" Kevin asked.

"Oh, yeah." Clark replied.

"And what are you going to do about it?"  
"You just watch."

Kevin swung at Clark. The fist smashed in to him and bounced off. Kevin screamed. Clark just stood, watching. He had heard the crack of bone and so had most of the class that were about.

"What tha hell?" Kevin hollered, dropping back. His fingers were dislocated, obvious to everyone there. A couple of his fingers were even broken. "What tha fuck did you do to me, Kent?"

Clark shook his head. "Nothing."

The teacher of this class, Ms. Carols walked in. She saw the huge boy on the floor, clutching his hands and asked. "What happened here?"  
Kevin pointed at Clark. "He broke my fingers, Ms. Carols."

Everybody in the class except for Lana was afraid for him. They instantly helped collaborate the story.

"No!" Lana argued. "He hit Clark, Ms. Carols. Everybody saw it."  
"If he hit Clark, why is he on the floor, Ms. Lang?"  
"He….He." Lana was at a loss for words.

"Let's go, Mr. Kent." Ms. Carols grabbed Clark by the arm and dragged him along.

* * *

Bart stared at the screen, mouth hanging open. It was a file from LUTHOR CORP. It showed his photo and sort of an 'unerground' warrant for his capture. The Reward was $400,000. Bart swallowed. He turned to Chloe.

"Where'd you get this?"

"Through Luthor Corp." Chloe said obviously, and sipped her coffee nervously.

"This is obviously an underground thing." Bart said slowly, "Where'd you get this."  
"I know someone who knows someone, who's married to someone, who's the uncle of someone who can hack in to Luthor Corp files.

"So….is this some kind of bounty?"

"Yeah, I think so. But I've never seen something like this. You must have pissed someone off real bad, Bart."  
"Yeah, I must have."

"Listen, I'm not one for prying," Chloe started.

Bart rolled his eyes.

"O.k., I am. But, please. Why would they put a bounty on your head?"  
"It's nothing."  
Chloe didn't want to get him angry but she needed to know this. "Please, Bart. I can help you. Just let me know and I'll-''

"Jesus Christ, it's nothing, Chloe."

Chloe shook her head and sipped some more coffee.

Bart stood up and began pacing.

"I'll find out anyway, Bart."

"Yes, I know you will."  
"Then, what's the point."

"They're just something's in my life better kept secret."  
"C'mon, Bart. Everyone has the skeletons in their closets."  
"Mine isn't just a skeleton. Mine is a whole freaking demon."  
"O.k., I'm trying to understand."

"Is it Dead or Alive."  
"What?"  
"The bounty."

"Oh, it's alive."  
"Atleast I have that bit of hope left."

"Please, Bart. Maybe I can help you."

Bart sighed. She was right. She'd find out sooner or later.

* * *

Seth Hanison stood outside the hospital and breathed in. He had just sent a death squad after Lana's boyfriend. One would soon go to her house. He stood outside the Sullivan house and breathed in again, savoring the beautiful nature's scenery.

He turned to the 22 men behind him. They were all armed to the teeth, guns, grenades, knifes, you name it. The kid would be fast, they'd have to be prepared. They were about thirty ft. away from the Sullivan house now. Anybody who posed a threat to the operation would be eliminated. They could have attacked them back at the Kent house, but Seth knew they would have stood no chance against Clark.

The only element Bart had up was speed. And Seth was prepared for that. There was only so much you could do with speed. Only so little. Seth was going to attack him at the center point.

Seth aimed carefully. He was a sniper. He saw the girl in his cross hairs. He pulled the trigger.

**

* * *

**

**CHLOE **went towards Bart. "C'mon, Bart. Please. Just, let me help you."

The bullet sped by, hitting the wall. Chloe dived down and Bart on top of her. They lay, not thinking about the awkward position. There were gunshots all over now. A voice shouted, "Come out, come out, wherever you are. You know you can't hide."

They heard the front door break. Bart stood up, a confident expression on his face. If they wanted a fight, they were going to get one. With that last thought, he sped straight at the soldiers. He had a job to do.


	13. AMBUSH

**THIS day just couldn't get any worse, **Clark thought as Lois stopped in the Kent driveway.

"You owe me one, Smallville. I can't always stay back because you've got a detention." Lois said. She was surprised when he just got out of the SUV and nodded. She expected atleast a quip.

"Bye, Lois." Clark said sullenly.

"Did you just get hit by the Great Depression, Smallville?"

Clark raised an eyebrow, then he shook his head. "No, I'm uh, fine. Thanks for the ride."

She nodded. "See you." And with that, she zoomed out of the Kent farm.

Clark watched her then sighed and went in to the loft. He set his bag aside and dropped in to a sofa. This day was just getting better and better, wasn't it? He shook his head. He sat there for a few minutes, moping. He headed in to the house. Krypto was in the den. When he saw Clark, he instantly ran towards him. Clark caught him. It wouldn't do to let Krypto's Super strenght destroy the house.

Clark smiled as the dog happily licked his face. Atleast there was one person who liked him today. Clark ruffled his ears and grinned. He headed to the cupboards and took out a box of dog food. He put it in to Krypto's bowl and watched the dog happily devour it. When Krypto was done, Clark let him out for a run around the farm.

Clark headed to the loft. He picked out a book. It was called THE WAR OF THE WORLDS. Needless to say, Clark liked reading books like this. He was quite enjoying it when he heard a car pull in to the driveway. He turned. Lex got out of the Porsche and waved up at him.

"C'mon up!" Clark called.

Lex came up the stairs and in to the loft.

"Haven't seen you in a while." Clark said.

"I know," Lex said, "I've been busy."

"Mhm." Clark swallowed. "Mmm, I heard about Luthor Corp, I'm really sorry."

"Oh, yeah?" Lex asked. "What exactly did you hear about Luthor Corp."

"Oh, ummm, nothing important." Clark could have kicked himself. Smart of him to go talking about it to Lex.

"You heard about the robberies?" Lex asked. He watched for a reaction. Clark Kent wasn't exactly the best liar in the world. A quality Lex somewhat admired.

"Ummm, yeah."

Clark put his hands in his pockets, a habit Lex had come to familiarize with.

Lex smirked. "How, exactly?"

"Umm, I just heard. It was no big deal."

"Someone must have access to Luthor Corp files."

"Yeah, I…umm, guess."

"What exactly are you trying to hide, Clark."  
Clark turned to Lex, puzzled. His heart rate began to escalate rapidly.

"I..ummm….Nothing, of course, Lex."

"We both know you're a terrible liar."

"What could I be lying about?"

"Clark, stop with this pretense."

"Please, Lex. It's just not….important."

"It is to me." Lex was getting a bit aggravated.

"Listen…Lex."

"Listen, Clark. I want to know who that source was, and I want to know now."  
Clark was shocked at the anger in Lex's voice.

"I ummm…."

"No, You ummm, nothing. I want to know now!"

"Why is this so important, Lex?"

"Why is it so important? Is that what you're asking me?"

Clark shook his head in awe. He had never seen Lex so angry.

"C'mon, Lex." Clark shook his head in wonder. "Just cool down. What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? Someone knows more about my company than they should and I want to know who. All that time, that you called me you enemy. You said that I wasn't your friend. You said that I had betrayed you. You hypocrite!"

Lex shook his head, backing up.

Clark approached him. "Lex, get a hold of yourself."  
"Get a hold of myself! Jesus Christ, get a hold of myself! That's all you can say?"

"What am I supposed to say, I'm sorry!"

"Right now, I don't care how sorry you are. You tell me who told you right now, Clark. That information wasn't printed in the papers. Tell me, Clark." Lex waited.

Clark looked at the floor. He had, indeed, made a critical mistake.

"And you call yourself my friend." Lex shook his head. He stalked out of the loft. Clark swallowed. He watched his supposed best friend get in to the Porsche and zoom away in a cloud of dust.

* * *

THE second they saw him, he was gone.

"Get him!" The leader screamed. The boy had disappeared. They had seen him stop at the stairs, then he was gone. Bart appeared behind one of them.

"Your uniforms, are so like…eighties." The man turned around, firing his assault rifle wildly, but the boy was gone.

"What tha hell is going on!" The leader yelled out.

"I am!" Bart appeared in front of him. He swung and hammered him in the face. The leader fell over the banister and to the ground. Bart disappeared just as the soldiers started firing wildly at where he had been a second ago.

The ones who weren't firing rushed to their fallen leader. "You o.k., chief?" One of them asked. The leader sat up and groggily wiped blood off his broken nose.

"What are you waiting for," the leader yelled wildly, "Get that sonofabitch!"

"Yes, sir!" At that instant, Bart appeared, and he dropped foot first on to the commander's chest. The leader screamed as the weight of the boy landed on his ribs. Bart wasn't at all heavy, but nevertheless, his slight frame broke the leader's ribs. "Goddamit!" He yelled.

A soldier fired wildly at Bart. Bart's Super speed easily exceeded the speed of the bullets. He ran from side to side and stopped in front of the soldier. He winked. The soldier swung with the butt of his rifle. Bart ducked and in an instant was behind him. He smashed his elbow in to the soldier's back and the man stumbled forward, and flew in to the mini bar, breaking through and in to the glass. Broken glass flew in to his face, slicing it so it bled profusely.

Bart grimaced. "Lucky you." He said sarcastically.

He zipped out of the way of a bullet and kicked the soldier in the groin. Then, he smashed the man in the stomach with his speed. It wasn't the force of the punch that normally affected Bart's opponents. It was the speed, and with that, the man flew back and hit the wall, causing a large depression.

Bart clucked his tongue. "So sad."  
A soldier swung at him. Bart ducked and hammered him under the arm pit, instantly dislocating his arm. The soldier stumbled back. "You little bastard!" he screamed.

Bart appeared behind him. He grabbed him around the waist and threw him in to a glass case. Cutlery and dishware fell to the floor.

Bart heard a scream. He turned. A soldier was holding Chloe with a handgun to her head.

"You fellas aren't playing fair." Bart said.

"Who said we were here to play fair?" The man asked.

Bart secretly grabbed a baseball bat behind his back. "C'mon, man. Don't do this."  
"You've really done it this time, you little punk." The man snarled snidely.

"Done what? Whipped all your butts like it was nothing?"  
"You've got a smart mouth, kid." He said.

"I know." Bart smiled.

"This is really not a time to be smiling." Chloe hissed.

"You should listen to your little girlfriend, Bart."

"Who are these people," Chloe gnarled.

"Go on, Bartie." The man said. "Tell her."

"Go to hell."

"Not without your girlfriend. See you later, Bartie boy." And with that, he pulled the trigger.

The bullet sped out of the chamber and time froze. Everybody in the room froze. Bart super sped towards Chloe. The bullet was almost there! Chloe's face was frozen in a fearsome expression.

Bart reached out with the bat. With all his strenght, he slammed it in to the man's arm. There was a sharp crack. The man's arm fell limply to his side, taking the gun in his hand down. The bullet went through the barrel and in to his foot. "Shit!" He screamed hopping around.

Bart was instantly in front of him. "You shouldn't curse." With that, he slapped the man across the face. A guard grabbed him from behind. Bart struggled to get out of the soldier's fearsome embrace.

"Can't go anywhere, anymore, can you, little Bartie?" The man stepped forward, still holding the gun. He was limping and blood and smoke was going out of his foot. The floor was almost covered with blood now. "You're going to pay for that." He smashed Bart in the face. Spit flew out of the young teenager's mouth.

"No," He said, eyes blazing, "You're going to pay for that."  
"Try anything else, Bart. Escape, you probably can. But if you do, your little girlfriend here is dead."

"For goodness sakes," Chloe screamed, "I am not his girlfriend."

The man turned around, eyes blazing, and back handed slapped her across the face. Her whole body twisted with the impact and she fell to the ground.

"You're dead!" Bart screamed. He couldn't move his whole body with speed right now but he could use his hands. In exactly a fraction of a second, he had grabbed a plate off the table and smashed it against the head of the man who was holding him. The man stumbled back, holding his heavily bleeding forehead.

"What tha hell did you do to me?" He screamed.

Bart grabbed a stool. He swung and smashed it across the man who was holding the gun's hand. "I told you you were going to pay for that, Ransom!" Ransom immediately dropped the gun, holding on to his broken fingers.

Bart again swung, ramming the stool against Ransom's head, knocking him unconscious.

Another soldier rushed him. Bart ducked the blow and rammed the stool in to his knee caps, instantly breaking them. The man screamed. He fired at Bart. Bart bended back and it passed over his head.

"Not a good move, soldier." He said, smashing the fist in to the man's groin. The man fell back, screaming, and holding on to his crotch.

Another soldier jumped at Bart.

Bart shook his head. "What, you want some of this?"  
"Bring it on, little kid." The man kicked at Bart. Bart zipped out of the way and smashed his fist in to the man's ribs. The man swung again. Bart appeared behind him and kicked him in the back of the knee, sending him stumbling.

"Wouldn't you say I have brought it on?" Bart remarked. He appeared in front of the soldier and kicked him in the face. The man fell back on to debris.

Bart turned just in time to see the fist ram in to his chin. The soldier watched gleefully as

Fell to the ground. Bart felt his eye swell. He stood up slowly. The soldier kicked at him. Bart was too tired to move. Chloe stood up and sprang at the soldier, infuriated. She grabbed him around his throat and wrapped her legs around his ribs, squeezing with all her strenght. The choking soldier frantically tried to throw her off.

"You're not getting off this, asshole." Chloe screamed.

The man ran back and tried to ram her against a wall, but she was already off him. He rammed back against the wall and through a door. Another soldier ran up to Chloe. He grabbed her throat. Chloe grabbed a nearby mug and slammed it against his head. He stumbled back and ran at her again. He pushed her in to the wall.

"You stupid little bi-'' He started but was hammered in the back by Bart.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to hit women?" Bart asked. He zipped up to the man and hit him frantically at super speed. When it was over, the man stumbled back, dazed. He fell to the ground unconscious.

Ammunition spit across the room. Bart zipped over to Chloe and grabbed her, taking her upstairs. He was back down in less than a second. The soldiers saw none of this.

"Where'd you take her?" One yelled.

"Where you'll never find her." Bart said calmly.

"Oh, yeah?" Three soldiers rushed him. Bart zipped out of the way and they slammed themselves in to a wall. They turned and some more attacked him. Bart easily ducked the blows. He kicked one in the ribs and smashed him in the jaw. He then pushed him, sending him over the dining table, breaking almost everything on it.

Bart ducked another blow. He picked up the fallen stool and smashed it across the man's face, easily breaking his nose. The man stumbled back, holding his nose. "Jesus….Jesus…My nose, My nose!" He yelled.

Bart appeared in front of him and swung the stool upwards, smashing it in to the man's testicles. The man instantly fell down unconscious. Bart snickered, "Well, you certainly won't be making babies anytime soon." He said.

A man grabbed Bart and slammed him to the ground. The man pointed his gun at the fallen teen. "Say goodbye." He said, firing. When he ceased, there was no one on the floor. He turned. Bart was right behind him.

"Goodbye!" Bart said. A soldier holding a long sleek knife lunged at Bart, arms outstretched. Bart disappeared and the knife plunged into the man who had just grabbed Bart. It entered his groin and blood and organs slipped out.

Bart watched, sickened. He appeared again. "Take him away!" He shouted at the remaining soldiers. Take him to a hospital!"  
They instantly grabbed their captain and began to take him out of the house. Only two remained inside.

Bart smiled snidely. "C'mon, fellas, do we really have to fight this out?"  
"You've got a real slick mouth, punk." One of them said.

Bart smirked. "Well, you've done nothing to stop it, have you?"  
One rushed at Bart, brandishing two handguns. At this close range, he fired. Bart barely managed to dodge the bullets. Then he ducked under and speared the man. They crashed back through the debris and through a glass window. They flew outside. Bart furiously pummeled the man. The last one jumped outside behind them. Bart stood menacingly.

The man glared unfearfully.

"Do you really still want to fight me?" Bart asked.

"I'm going to kill you, punk."  
"Oh, yeah?"

"Yes."

"I seriously doubt that."  
"And I seriously don't give a shit."

"Such harsh language, isn't it?"  
Bart appeared behind him and grabbed the gun out of his hands. Then he slammed the butt of the gun against the back of the man's head. The man fell, unconscious. Bart sighed, happy that there were no men remaining. He zipped up the stairs after Chloe.

She sat trembling, in the corner of her bedroom.

"We've got to talk." She said shakily.

He nodded. Indeed they did. He held out his hand to her. She took it and stood up.

* * *

CLARK flipped his cell phone closed and put it in his pocket. His Dad was o.k. Everything was fine there. His mom had told him to stop worrying. He had already gotten his chores done. He looked at his watch. Where was Bart. He shrugged. Hopefully, he wasn't getting himself in trouble. Clark looked out of the loft at the beautiful sundown.

"Hey, Clark."

Clark turned and swallowed. "Hey, Lana."


	14. HEARTACHE

**HER eyes were swollen and teary.** Her hair was long, uncombed, and disheveled and she had obviously been crying much of the day.

Clark stood up, concerned. "Lana, are you o.k.?"

She forced a smile. "Not really. I…."

Clark was worried. Lana rarely raised force alarm. He walked up to Lana and put his hands on her shoulders, "If there's something you want me to do," he said, "I'll do it. Please tell me what it is. I'm here for you."

"Yes, I know." Lana looked down at the table, seeing all the books strewn all over the place. Then she looked back up. "Listen, if you're doing something, I really didn't mean to intrude."

"Lana, you're not intruding. Just, please, feel comfortable."

"Thanks, Clark." She dropped in to a sofa, elbows on knees, hands covering her eyes.

"Would you like a glass of water?" He asked.

"Yeah. Ummm, I would really appreciate that."

"Alright." He smiled.

"Thank you."

Clark walked slowly out of the loft, thinking about what had just happened. _What could have happened to Lana to have caused her so much grief. It probably had to do with Jason, _Clark concluded. He nodded. _Yeah, Jason's condition_. He entered the kitchen and got a pitcher of water out of the fridge. Clark got two glasses and headed back to the loft. He entered. Lana's face was still in her hands.

Clark poured them both glasses. "Here you go." He said, handing it out to Lana.

"Thanks." She said in a hoarse voice.

They sat there as she sipped the water.

"You must be wondering what's wrong with me." Lana said.

"It has crossed my mind." Clark said.

"It's just…. Jason.

"What's wrong with Jason?" Clark stood up a little alarmed.

"Apart form the fact that he's in critical condition?"

"Yeah." Clark blushed.

"I don't know how I feel about him anymore, Clark?"

"What do you mean, Lana."

"Well, since we went to China, Jason's been hiding so much from me. You know?"

"I know how you feel."

"You should, Clark." She said with a bitter tone.

"What are you talking about?" He asked.

"C'mon, Clark." She said, "You're like…..the king of keeping secrets."

Clark shook his head, a little uncomfortable.

Lana shook her head, "I'm sorry."

"No, no, you're right." Clark said.

"I didn't have a right, Clark. I'm sorry."

He nodded.

"You know, in Paris, everything was so great between us. It was like, I could tell him anything, and he could tell me anything. We were so close." Lana noticed Clark looked a little bit uncomfortable. "Are you o.k., Clark?"

"Yeah," he said dryly, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know, why wouldn't you be?"

He smiled awkwardly. "How d you know Jason is hiding something from you?"  
"I don't know, I just have this...like, gut feeling."  
"So you….just know."

"Something like that."

"That's….very interesting, Lana."

"You think I'm nuts, don't you?"

"You're not regularly one to seem insecure."

"You have no idea." She said.

"So…this has been going on since China."

She nodded.

"So….you think it has to do with the stones?"

"That's just it….. I know it has to do with the stones."

"Why?"

"Because, I never found it. I don't have it, you don't have it, and Lex doesn't have it."

"But that doesn't mean Jason has it."

Lana stood up, frustrated. "I know, I know."

"It's not that I don't believe you, Lana."

"It's o.k., Clark. I wouldn't believe it if I were you either."

"That's just it, Lana. I'm not disproving you."

"You're just skeptical."

"No, Lana. Please, just listen to me."

"Go ahead."

"We can't just, bring these allegations up against Jason. I mean….look at his condition. We don't want him hurt."

"Yeah. I know. Thanks for listening, Clark."

He nodded, looking straight at her with loving eyes. He's got such beautiful eyes, she thought again. A girl could get lost in them.

**

* * *

**

**MIAMI, FLORIDA**

They hadn't known where to go. They had known they couldn't stay at Chloe's house for fear of another team coming after them. Bart had simply super sped her to Miami. They had rented a cheap hotel room. Chloe wanted to call her father before he got home.

He picked up on the 3rd ring. "Hello, Gabe Sullivan."

Chloe's hands shook on her cell phone. "Umm, hi, Dad."

"Oh, Chloe, what's wrong?" He asked, noticing her shaky tone.

"I…Dad, someone tried to kill me."

"This is really not the time."

Chloe began to sob. "No, Dad. I'm not joking. Please."

Gabe started to notice her scared tone. "You're serious?"

"Yeah." Chloe said, barely audible.

Gabe yelled, "Where tha hell are you?"

"Dad, I'll ummm, explain later."

"No! You'll explain to me now why somebody was trying to kill you!"

"Dad, please calm down."

"Are you serious? Somebody tried to kill my little girl and you're telling me to calm down! What's going on in that little head of yours?"

"Dad, please, I'm fine."

"Where are you?"

"Dad, I'm in…..Florida."

"What, how tha hell did you get to Florida?"

"I can't explain it right now?"

"Jesus Christ, Chloe! You almost got killed today."

"Daddy, I swear, I'm fine."  
"How are you fine? You just got shot at!"

"Daddy, I swear, please, I don't have time to explain."  
"You better make time, then."

"Dad, they tried to kill me in the house."

"They what? They came after by little girl in my goddamned house?"  
"Yeah, Dad. The house, it's wrecked. I'm really sorry. It was all my fault-''

"I don't care about the house, Chloe. Are you hurt?"

"No, Dad," she lied, "Not at all."

"Good, Tell me where you are. I'm coming for you, Chloe."

"No, Dad. I'm sorry. I can't."

"Chloe Sullivan, you tell me where you are right now or else, I'll-''

"I'm sorry, dad, I love you." And with that, Chloe hung up. She leaned against the wall breathing hard.

"That wasn't easy for you." Bart observed.

"No," Chloe breathed out, "It wasn't."

Bart shook his head and continued watching the Skateboarding competition that was going on the broke down TV.

"So," Chloe said, "What happened?"

"Where?" Bart asked, still absorbed in the TV.

"How'd you get your…."

"Abilities?" Bart finished, a little amused."

Chloe gulped, "Yeah."  
"All right, well, a couple of years ago there was, like, this accident, right? There was this huge flash of light, and my body went into overdrive."

"Yeah? So….that channeled the speed in to you?"

Bart appeared behind her. "Affirmative."

She jumped back and yelped. Then she smoothed over he clothes, embarrassed. "That's something you really need to keep on wraps."

Bart nodded, "I know. If I had, I really wouldn't be in this mess."  
"What do you mean?"

"I mean….they saw me super speeding. And they wanted to do some kind of test on me."

"Did they kidnap you?"

"No." Bart sighed unhappily.

"Threaten you?"

"No."

Chloe sat down puzzled.

"What did they do then?" She asked.

"They offered me money." Bart said, a little ashamed.

"So…you just like……sold yourself."

"Not something I'm proud of." Bart said.

"That wasn't very smart." Chloe said.

"I know that now." Bart said.

Chloe started to pace. "So, how fast exactly can you go?" She pulled a blanket around her shoulders. He just smirked.

"What?" She asked.

He pointed. She looked down. The blanket was gone.

Chloe stood up, scared. "But… I was looking at you. You were like….right there."

"I'm faster than the eye can see, Chloe." Bart stated matter of factly.

"The speed of sound?"

"Obviously."

"Wow." Chloe said, backing up. "Back in the alley, why didn't you just run when that guy came after you."  
"At that particular moment, I didn't really have my powers." Bart said.

"What do you mean?" Chloe asked.

"They took something out of my blood tissues. My flesh."  
"How grisly." Chloe winced.

"Yeah." Bart said.

"So how exactly did you get your….abilities back?"

"Well…I….thought about you."  
Chloe raised an eyebrow, "No, seriously, Junior."

"That's the honest truth."  
"So….all you had to do was think about me and you could just…?"  
"Run?"

"Running? That's quite an understatement."  
"I'm flattered, Junior."

"You should be."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "You and that ego, Junior."  
"I prefer to call it, Bartitude."  
"Very original."

"I know."

"So," She began, "Can you go faster than Clark?"

"What are you talking about?" Bart drew back, a little worried now.

"C'mon, Bart. Don't waste both our times, I know Clark's secret."

"What secret?" Bart asked.

"That he's faster than a speeding bullet. What do you think?"

Bart gulped. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Save it, Junior," She said, "I saw catch a freaking car."

Bart relaxed. There was no point in this anymore. "So you do know his secret."

"That's what I've been saying, Junior."

"Would you please stop calling me that?"

"Why, I think it's cute."  
"Cute? The Bart man isn't cute."

Chloe playfully pinched his cheeks. He playfully slapped her hands away.

"So….what's the answer."

"The answer to what?" Bart asked.

"Well….Can you go faster than Clark?"

Bart nodded.

Chloe smiled, "Just as I thought."

Bart grabbed a nearby Pepsi and began to sip it slowly. "How long have you known?"

"Well….one of his girlfriends showed me?"

Bart almost spit out his drink. "Lana knows?"  
"Nah, it was…." Chloe stuttered, "A friend."

"Who?"  
"A friend."  
Bart nodded, taking a clue. They silently watched the TV for a few moments.

"So….what do we do now?" Chloe asked, unsure of herself for once.

"I don't know, but I wish that I had never been so stupid."  
"Come on, Bart, you can't blame yourself."

"How can you say that? I could have gotten you killed."

"But you didn't did you?"

"No, but I could have."

"Why are you being so hard on yourself?" She asked.

"Clark was right," He said, "I should really start taking responsibility for my actions."

"Everybody makes mistakes, Bart. You just need to learn from them."  
Bart sighed and was silent. He turned to Chloe, "Should we call Clark?"

"Maybe later on. I have quite a few questions I want to ask."  
"Obviously," He teased. "It's Chloe Sullivan we're talking about."  
"You know," she said teasingly, "You may be faster than the speed of light, but I can still get a punch in once in a while."  
"Try away, Sullivan." She yelped again when she realized he had appeared behind her. She stumbled back just in time to fall in to his arms. She pushed off playfully. "You want some of this Allen?" She said.

"Bring it on, slow poke," He sneered jokingly.

She dove at him and he let her tackle him on to the bed. She lay on top of him for a moment, savoring the feeling of having him on her. She tipped her head forward for a moment and brushed her lips with his. He answered by sticking his tongue through her lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she rubbed her tongue against his teeth. He rolled over so he was on top of her. He tipped his head forward and licked her lips softly. Chloe was lost in ecstacy. Suddenly, she realized where she was. She managed to push him off her. He rolled off and on to the floor.

"Ummm, I'm sorry." Chloe said, straightening her clothes, "But we should really call Clark." They stood up awkwardly. She turned to him. "Listen, Bart, It's not really necessary that Clark knows that I know his secret o.k.?"  
He nodded awkwardly. She took out her cell phone. Her heart thudded with fear. She faced her greatest fear ever. That She, Chloe Sullivan, was falling in love again.


	15. COMPLICATIONS

**SHE WAS GONE.** Clark breathed deeply. They had come dangerously close to kissing tonight. She had a boyfriend, Clark reasoned to himself. They couldn't do anything. It would be wrong. Clark watched as the Lana's car zoomed out of the Kent Residence. Clark breathed in deeply.

Suddenly, the phone rang. Clark slowly made his way in to the house.

"Hello?" He said calmly.

"Umm, Clark, it's…Chloe."

"Oh, Chloe. There's static. Where are you?"

"Ummm, we're….around."

"We're? Is Bart with you?"

"Yes."

"So…..where exactly are you?"

"Oh…ummm…we're in Florida, Clark."

Clark's heart beat rapidly increased.

He cleared his throat, "Ummm, Florida?"

"Yes." Chloe said.

Oh my god, Clark said, slapping his forehead. He faked laughter. "Good one, Chloe. Really, really funny."

"Yes, Clark, we are in Florida."

Clark swallowed. "How, exactly, did you get to Florida?"

"We both know, Clark."

"What are you talking about?" Clark gulped again.

"Clark, please, stop while you're ahead."

"O.k." He gave up. He breathed in. Just like Bart to flaunt his powers. But he had to assume that Chloe did not know about his secret. Please! "So…..Bart ran?"

"Yes." Chloe said.

"How're you taking this?" He asked.

"Oh, it's getting pretty cool, actually. It's nice when people just….you in you."

Clark didn't take the hint. "So….you guys just decided to go to Florida."

"Miami, to be exact."

Clark rolled his eyes. "O.k., Miami. You just…decided to go?"

"No. We were attacked….at my house."

"Attacked?" Clark stood up, now worried.

"Yes, attacked."

"By whom?" Clark said, already knowing the answer.

"You know. Phillip Rafferty."

Clark nodded his head. "What does Bart say?"

"Bart knew some of the soldiers?"

"Does your dad know?"

"Yeah. I just called."

"How is he taking it?"

"How would you be taking it if you knew your daughter had just been attacked?"

"Good point."

"Yes. It is."

Clark heard a TV on the other side. He focused, in sounded like a skateboarding show. "So…what's Bart doing?"

"Oh, he's watching TV."

"Can I talk to him?"

"Sure."

The phone was silent for a moment. Then, Bart picked it up.

"Clark?" He asked.

"Yeah, it's Clark."

Bart breathed deeply for a moment.

"Rafferty came after us in Chloe's house."

"You used you abilities to escape?"

"What was I supposed to do?"

"I'm not blaming you Bart."

"It sounds like you are."

"Well I'm not."

There was silence for a moment.

"Sorry," Bart said, "It's kind of hard to keep a good mood when you've just been shot by."

"Yeah." Clark was silent. Then he cleared his throat. "Listen, Bart, there's something I need to ask you."

"O.k. What is it?"

"I really hate to sound selfish o.k.?"

"Just tell me what it is."

"O.k. Did you tell Chloe about my secret?"

Bart considered for a minute. Then he whispered, "No, I didn't." He hadn't told Chloe about Clark's secret. Apparently, she had already known."

"Alright," Clark said, "Thanks."

"No problem." Bart said, rubbing his finger tips together lightly.

"Where are you staying?"

"Somewhere in Florida."

"But where, exactly?"

"Listen, we can't tell you just yet."

"What?" Clark boomed, standing up.

"I said….we can't tell you just yet."

"And why tha hell not?"

"Clark, listen, keep your temper. There are certain complications."

"Complications! Just say you don't trust me."

"Alright, Clark, just listen. We have to-''

"You have to nothing, now just tell me-''

"Shut up, Clark!" Bart yelled.

They were both silent for a moment.

Then Bart quietly said, "It's not that we don't trust you, Clark."

Clark sat back down and breathed in. "Then what's wrong?" He asked.

"Clark, we don't know. Phillip knows where you live."

"So…..you think I'll just like…give you up or something?"

"No….we think he might be bugging your phones."

"And why exactly would you think something like that?"

"Clark, you never know with Phillip."

"I think I'd know if somebody bugged my house, Bart."

"How exactly would you?"

Clark was faltered for a moment. "Mom and Dad were at the hospital."

"Exactly, and you went to school, didn't you?"

Clark swallowed. "I'll be right back, Bart."

"Wait…where are you going?"

"I'm going to check around the house."

"How?"

"I have my methods."

"Be careful. There might be booby traps."

"Yeah. Thanks."

"Bye, Clark."

"Bye." And with that, Clark hung up. He ran at a normal rate in to the house. He looked around the interior. Clark focused on his hearing, hoping to possibly discover the frequency of the bug.There wasn't much going on. He could hear Krypto panting outside. Clark heard some ants around, the rhythm of the air conditioner; there were some cars on the road, the mooing of Cows. There was a low buzz. A very low buzz. Clark moved slowly towards it. He ended up at a wall.

Clark gulped. He got a chair and a screw driver. He stood on top of the chair and unscrewed the air conditioning vent. He looked inside and saw nothing. Clark focused. Clark's Microscopic vision was activated now. Everything was magnified. He saw bacteria…ants and such. Now his vision zoomed more in to the interior. There it was! He saw it now. It was a tiny device, invisible to the human eye. Clark gulped again.

"Oh, boy." He whispered to himself. He grabbed the device and took it out. It was so tiny, a little ball, so little and small. He wondered how they had managed to get something this tiny in to there. It must have taken a lot of focus and technology. He heard a beep inside the device. Could it be? Was it a? In an instant, Clark had zipped out of the house and out of the farm. Time seemed to freeze. Clark's Super speed was going at one of the highest degrees it had ever done. The little thing exploded. The exposed explosion had only reached one tenth of the little device through the little device and it was strange seeing flames frozen in place as though they were a mere painting rather than the real thing. The explosion was frozen in place, the flames reaching out pointlessly in to the air. Clark's Super Speed allowed him to get out of the farm and past the street. Cars were frozen in time, birds were still in the air, Clark ran through the motionless world and far in to forest land. The flames had grown a centimeter. In one last, desperate motion, he punched a large hole in the ground and dropped the bomb in to it. Then he hastily covered it in soil. He knew he wouldn't be hurt, but there might be people around. He zipped away just as the explosion fully took place. Even a quarter of a mile away, the explosion reached Clark. He smashed in to a tree and tipped it over, breaking it in half.

He sighed and looked around at the damage. Trees had been blown away, some were cut in half. Debris rained all over the forest. Clark stood up. His clothes were yet again in tatters. He groaned. With how often he had ruined his clothes, Jonathon had ruled that now he had to buy his own clothes.

"Lucky me!" He snapped to no one in particular. And with that, he made his way back to his house.

* * *

BART was sleeping. She had been waiting until just the right time. When she heard him snoring, she made her way out of the apartment. She locked the door behind her and slipped the key in to her pocket.

Chloe put her hands in to the pockets f her PHAT sweater and walked down the balcony of the beautiful hotel. There were guests still out there, still at 1:00 a.m. She saw them, just drinking and drinking and drinking. She made her way down to the parking lot. They had rented a car earlier this afternoon. She was almost broke. She was even tempted to take up Bart's offer of letting him slip a little out of a few pockets.

She got in to the battered old Nissan and for a moment missed her car that was back in Smallville. Who thought she could miss that old town so much. She pulled out of the driveway of the hotel and headed out…anywhere.

* * *

BART watched the Nissan pull out of the Hotel. She was alone. He hadn't been able to sleep either. He watched her turn the corner then he exited the hotel room, locking the door behind him, and praying she had a spare set. Then, Bart zipped after her.

* * *

She pulled over at the beach. She looked out at it, so beautiful. There were some couples still lying on blankets, making out. Chloe got as far away from them as possible. She wasn't exactly feeling very social right now.

She stopped beside the seashore, putting her head between her knees. Bart. She had felt it since the first day she met him, though turning him away. He made her feel better than Clark ever had, she realized. Oh, my god.

A tear rolled out of the corners of her eyes and down her cheeks. It rolled down her cheeks and her eyelids dripped with down. She sobbed. She had been hurt by Clark so much. She hated herself whenever she thought about him. She had always known she deserved better, even punished herself and hated Lana. But now, she had learned to cope with it. No matter how much she wanted it, Clark Kent would never be hers. Wishful thinking was all it was. She was going to graduate soon. She didn't need to keep thinking about him. He might still decide to stay and go to Kansas Central. She would be going to Metropolis. She really didn't have time for him.

"Bart." She whispered to herself. "Bart Allen. Chloe Allen. Bart and Chloe Allen." She smiled, deciding it sounded better than Chloe Kent. A whole lot better. She had gotten over Clark. Now, she feared, she was in love with Bart Allen. A big part had also been Clark's deception. They had been friends for so long, and still he wouldn't have told her his secret if she hadn't found out. All the deception. Bart had just saved her life, not even caring about the use of his powers. How many times could Clark had helped if he had just been honest. How selfish, she thought, not for the 1st time.

A shadow appeared behind her.

She did not even have to turn around. "Bart.

He came around and knelt in front of her. He reached out and touched her face. She flinched slightly and then was still. Taking the cue, he brushed away her tears with his thumb. He got closer. "Listen, Chloe." He said, taking his hand back. "I'm sorry about earlier.

"Don't be sorry." She said.

He didn't hear her. "I shouldn't have come on to you like that, make you feel uncomfortable." She shook her head, smiling slightly. She heard the sincerity in his voice, knowing he had wanted to kiss her, but still taking her feelings in to consideration.

"You didn't make me uncomfortable."

"What?" He asked, puzzled.

"I came unto you, Bart."

He nodded. They were silent for a moment.

"This is so confusing," She said.

He didn't have to ask to know what she was talking about. "The feeling is mutual," He said.

They listened to the rhythm of the ocean for a moment.

Then he turned to her. "You're in love with Clark."

She shook her head, smiling. "Up till a few weeks ago, yes. I've learned to accept that he's in love with Lana and there's nothing I can do about it."

"Clark must be crazy to not want to fight for you." He said.

She smiled. "You're just saying that."

"No," He said, "I'm not. You are the most beautiful, most charismatic girl I've ever met." He breathed, then blushed. He looked down at his hands for a moment. She smirked, noting his embarrassment. She had felt the same about Clark. It felt good to have someone who actually appreciated her. It was funny, too. Bart who, when the 1st time she had met him, had been the bravest, most confident kid she had ever met was blushing because of her…the one and only…Chloe Sullivan. Yes. It did feel good.

"You know…" She teased, "You're kind of cute when you're embarrassed.

"I'm glad you think so," He muttered.

She burst out laughing.

"You know," She said, "I liked you since that 1st day I met you at the Talon."

"Yeah?" He asked, amazed. "Why did you turn me away?"

"I was confused."

"Me too." He said.

She rolled her eyes. "The Bart Allen I knew was confident about everything."

"Except when it came to you. It's hard to breathe when you're around, Chloe. I start to sweat, I twitch." She smiled when she saw indeed he was twitching. She reached in and grabbed his elbows. It stopped in her hands. They looked at each other for a moment, savoring the physical contact. Chloe leaned in closer, wrapping her arms around his neck. She leaned over him, nibbling on his lips.

"I think I'm in love with you, Bart Allen." She whispered.

"I love you, Chloe Sullivan." He breathed out. With that, he pushed his body forward so he lay on top of her. She smiled and squeezed her arms around his neck. He leaned in, nibbling on her neck. She arched her body, feeling his male hardness digging in. She breathed out, licking the edge of his neck. He licked her bottom lip, and delved his tongue in to her mouth. They locked tongues for a second. Bart rubbed her straining, taut breasts and she gasped. He kissed her neck, thenput his hands on her legs. He moved them up, pushing her skirt up, just ever so slightly, until he touched her thighs. She moaned.

"Hey kids!" They turned. There was an obese, short man chewing on tobacco. "Hate to ruin your moment, but it's time to go." He said. They stood up, embarrassed and straightened their clothes. He chuckled and walked away. Chloe and Bart looked at each other, embarrassed.

* * *

IT HAD TAKEN A LOT OF EFFORT TO COME HERE. Lois swallowed her pride and got out of her sleek red convertible. She looked up at the Luthor Manor. She swallowed once more and stormed to the entrance. There was a guard sitting there. She had almost stormed past him when he grabbed her by the arm.

"You got an appointment, young lady?" He asked.

"Let go of me," Lois warned, "Or I'll break your arm."

"You'll what?"

"I'll break your goddamned arm." She said between her teeth.

"You've got attitude." He said smiling. "Good, I like my broads with attitude."

With that, Lois grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back. Then she leaned back and using all her force, brought him down over her shoulders. He hit the ground. The other 2 soldiers came out, guns bared.

"What tha hell are you doing!" One yelled. He came after Lois. Lois ducked and brought her fist up in to his gut. Then she smashed him in the face. He stumbled back. Lois roundhouse kicked him in the mouth. He fell back, lip bleeding. The other one aimed and put his finger on the trigger. He was about to pull it when someone tapped his shoulder.

"Is this how you treat all my guests?" Lex asked coolly.

"Ummm, no, sir." The frightened guard said.

"Get your men out of here," Lex said pointing to the fallen guards, "You're fired." The guard knew not to argue.

"Thanks." Lois managed out.

"What? Is Lois Lane thanking me?" Lex asked, amused.

Lois bared her fist suggestively. "Want to try that again, Luthor?"

Lex was simply amused. "Let's go inside." He said. They entered and went up the stairs. They went inside his office. They sat down and studied each other for a moment. Then Lex leaned forward, grinning. "So, what exactly can I do for you?"

"Take that stupid grin of your face, Luthor," Lois said, "It took me a lot to come here."

"I know." Lex smirked. "So….what do you want?"

"That guy who was with you at the restaurant…what's his name?"

"Hmmm," Lex said suggestively, "I sense attraction."

Lois snorted and leaned forward. "You probably know this, Luthor, but I'm going to tell you straight up. I don't like you very much."

"That took me a while to figure out." Lex said sarcastically.

"Of course." She said dryly.

"So….what exactly is this less than social visit about?"

"Listen…that guy. What was his name? No games."

"Phillip. Phillip Rafferty."

"Phillip Rafferty?"

"Yes, why?"

"Because. I saw him run at super speed outside the café."

* * *

PHILLIP stood outside the office, listening. So….she had heard him. Something had to be done about this. His soldiers were making plans to go after the Lana girl's boyfriend so he couldn't use them. He'd just have to send his robots. With that last thought, he super sped off.

* * *


	16. ENLISTMENT

He'd smiled.

Jesus Christ, he just sat there and smiled. His relaxed posture hadn't changed. His eyes twinkled with amusement. His beautiful red silk designer shirt was straightened which added more to his confidence. Lois sat on the other side of his desk, waiting for his reaction.

"You're funny, Lois," he said, "Did anyone ever tell you that?"  
"What?" She was awestruck.

"I said, you're funny."  
"You think I'm lying?"

"No. I think it's simply an ill mannered joke, amusing, none the less."  
"You son of a….." Lois started, then thought better of it. "You think I'd be coming to you if this wasn't serious?"

"I never said it wasn't serious."  
"Don't play these mind games with me, Luthor. Don't! Just tell me…straight up….you think I'm lying."  
Lex just smiled.

"I don't believe this!" She hollered. With that, she stood up and stormed out of the office, muttering under her breath. She ran down the stairs and out of the mansion. The 3 guards were just leaving. There was a note on her windshield with some very obscene words. Normally, she would have chased them and kicked their asses but she was too upset today. Instead, she simply tore up the note. She got in her car and drove to Chloe's house.

* * *

UNCLE GABE WAS DRUNK. After Lois had passed the shock of a bullet ridden house, she had finally forced herself to enter. Gabe was strewn across the couch, bottles of beers around him, sipping a Martini and eating a frozen dinner. 

"Jesus, what are you doing!" Lois yelled as she ran towards him.

His eyes were glassy and his eyes were red. "What does it look like I'm doing?" He asked.

"Oh, come on Uncle Gabe." Lois grabbed the empty beer bottles and took them to the trash can. There, she dumped them in gingerly. She walked back to the den. Now, he was lying across the carpet.

"You know, I never realized how much I missed booze…." He slurred.

"Why are you doing this to yourself?"

"When there's nothing to do, Lois. All you need is booze. C'mon, Lois. You would know that!"

Lois was stung by the remark but she ignored it, remembering how she too had hurt people while under the influence. Lots, and lots, and lots, and…anyway. He was drunk. No need in taking his words to the heart.

She grabbed him by the arms and tried to bring him to a standing position but he was too heavy for her. She tried repeatedly, but he was deadweight. She sighed, "Where's Chloe?" She asked sourly.

"I don't know." He said.

"Where's Chloe!" She yelled.

"I don't goddamned know!" He screamed.

Lois nodded. At least a reaction. He wasn't as drunk as she feared. "What happened here?" She asked, looking around at the numerous bullet holes."  
"Chloe happened." He said, laughing at his own bad joke.

"What are you talking about?"  
"Some men," He said, "They came after Chloe."  
"What!" Lois said, a little alarmed. Her eyes widened and her heart beat increased, "who?"

Gabe ignored her. "Those bastards. Whoever they are, they came after my baby girl."  
Lois swallowed, unsure of what to do. "So…..where's Chloe?"  
"I don't know." He answered sullenly.

"Do you think she's…….." Lois had to force herself to say the rest, "dead?"

"No," Gabe said, "I talked to her on the phone."  
"You what? On what phone?"  
"She called her, Lois."  
Lois instantly grabbed her cell phone out of her pocket. She quickly dialed Chloe's phone number. After the 7th ring, Chloe picked up.

"Hello?"  
Lois breathed out a sigh of relief. "Chloe!"

"Lois?"  
"Yes, it's me! Where the hell are you?"  
"Ummm, not in Kansas."  
"Not in Kansas?"  
"Yeah, not in Kansas."  
"I don't want to know where you're not," Lois said frustrated, "I want to know where you are."  
"I can't tell you just yet, Lois."  
"And why tha hell not?"  
"What is it with you and the word hell?"  
"Why tha hell are we talking about the word hell?"  
"Listen, Lois. I love you and all, but please don't call."  
Lois almost choked. "What are you talking about? Don't call?"

"Yes, don't call!"

"Please, Chloe. I'm listening. Just tell me. Why were those men trying to kill you?"  
"It's a long story."  
"Well, as you can see, I don't have much else to do."  
"I can't."  
"Talk to me, Chloe!"  
"I think they've bugged the house."  
"What!"

"I said I think they've bugged the house."  
"Who, what bugged the house?"  
"Some guy, who's after Bart, I think he's bugged the house. I don't know."  
"Who is this guy? Who is he?"

"I can't tell you."  
"You can't, you can't, you can't, Jesus Christ Chloe, what can you do?"  
"Nothing really right now."

"Does he have you? Are you imprisoned?"

"No, I'm not."  
"O.k. You can't tell me where you are. Are you o.k. Are you feeling alright?"  
"Yeah."  
Lois looked around at the bullet ridden house. "Are you alone?"  
Chloe was quiet for a moment. "Yes," she said, even though knowing Lois wouldn't believe her.

She wasn't disappointed, but Lois decided not to comment on this. "Who's after you Chloe?"  
"Someone who you want to stay away from."

"Who?"  
"Lois, please, I don't want you to get hurt, o.k.? Goodbye." The line went dead. Lois was silent. She absent mindedly slipped her cell phone in to her pocket. Someone was after Chloe. Gabe was unconscious. It would be wasted time to try to get him away from where he was. There was only one person she could go to.

* * *

"CLARK? IS THAT YOU?" Martha asked. She was in Jonathon's room lying down on the couch. There was a shadow in the doorway. The room was dark. "Is that you, Clark?" Martha asked again. 

Clark's tall, muscled figure entered the room. "Yeah, it's me."  
Martha yawned. She looked down. Jonathon was still asleep. She checked her watch. "What are you doing here?" She asked, "It's a school day."  
He nodded. "Yeah, but I still have a couple of minutes before school starts."  
"You're running?" She whispered. He heard her.

"Yeah." He stuck his hands in his pockets and came towards Jonathon, who was snoring peacefully. "How's Dad doing?" He asked Martha.

She shrugged. "Still a little banged up. Apparently, the leg was injured. It was almost broken."  
Clark's face was clouded with horror. "I….I thought…"  
"Oh, no, honey," She said, "You didn't do anything wrong. If it hadn't been for you, his leg would be broken right through."  
He nodded at her comforting words.

"How're you doing all alone by yourself?" Martha asked.

Clark shrugged. "Not great. I miss you and dad. Especially your home cooking."  
Even though Clark meant it as a joke, Martha knew he missed them. He came to the hospital everyday, just to check up on them. Yesterday, he had told them about the Bart and Chloe thing. Luckily, Jonathon had been unconscious most of the time, or else he would have brought down a storm.

"I know you do, sweety." Martha said, trying to smile.

Clark nodded. He hadn't told them about the bomb though. He didn't want to worry them anymore than he already had. Besides, even if the bomb had exploded, he wouldn't have been hurt.

He looked down at his watch. "Oh, I've got to get to school." Clark said. He bent down to kiss Martha on the cheek. "Say hi to Dad when he wakes up." He said sadly, then headed out of the room.

"Bye, Clark." Martha whispered, knowing Clark would hear her, and he did.

* * *

LOIS had been calling him all morning. She fretted, frustrated, and gripped her steering wheel. Now who could she go to. Nobody, that's whom! As she drove along the highway, she began to notice the Honda. It was a convertible, sleek and violet, with neon lights and beautiful rims. At first, she'd only thought of it as a coincidence. 

Until she headed on to a deserted street. Then, she started to panic. The Honda accelerated, coming up beside her….and then passed her. She sighed. Paranoia. It was getting to her. She was scared now. For Chloe and for herself, but especially for Chloe. She passed the Medical Center and braked hard. There he was, simply coming down the stairs. She saw him look around, for a moment puzzled. He looked like he was about to start running when she shouted, "Clark!" and horned her car.

Clark almost fell from the shock. He saw Lois in her car. He walked over, terrified. He had almost used his speed! He thanked whoever it was watching him up there that she had alerted him-though by accident- before it was too late.

"Hey, Smallville." Lois said as he came to her side window.

"Lois?" He said.

"No," She said sarcastically, "An exact replica."  
"You don't look better than the last one." He quipped.

She punched his arm, forgetting her worries for a moment. "What are you doing here?" She asked.

Clark cleared his throat. "I ummm, came her to see my parents."  
Lois looked down at her watch, "At 7:50? It's a school day, Smallville. School starts in a couple of minutes. You just decide to drive over here?"

"My dad's up there." Clark reminded her.

"Yeah, and he's fine." She retorted.

"I just had to see him before I came to school."  
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. You need a ride?"  
"Ummm, no, not really."  
"Well, what're you gonna do, run?"

Clark smiled at the irony of the question. "Well, I guess I do need a ride."  
"Hope in." She said.

He entered the car and she pulled out of the parking lot. She turned to him, studying him for a moment. Then she asked, "Have you seen Chloe lately?"  
Clark gulped, "Errr, no. Not lately."  
"Do you know where she is?"  
"No," He lied, "Why?" He wasn't that much of a good liar, but this time, Lois seemed to believe him.

"Oh, no reason." She said. He watched her. "O.k.," She admitted, "There is a reason. I need your help, Clark."

* * *

THEY were there again, Lana noted, they were always at that particular table, always within seeing distance of her. There were 2 of them, one white, one black. The white one was the shorter, with short cut dirty blonde hair and wearing thick spectacles. He was stocky though muscled, and looked a little athletic. 

The black one was about a foot taller, Heavily muscled with a light honey-like complexion. He wore sunglasses everyday, and he's hair was carefully groomed in to a stylish afro. His left ear was pierced with a square stud, a very physically imposing man.

Lana chewed slowly on her tuna sandwich. Normally, Martha ate lunch with her but today, Ms. Kent was sleeping and she just didn't have the heart to wake her up after all she'd been through. The men had been there for days, but Lana hadn't wanted to alarm Martha.

They were leaning in, not looking at her. They were obviously professionals. The only times they ever even glanced in her direction was a casual one, a passing one, a simple one. But to Lana, it meant so much more. She kept her head down and washed her sandwich down with some Grape juice. It took her everything she had not to just run.

Perhaps it was paranoia. She didn't know. In the last few days, she had experienced an extensive amount of trauma. Even though the injuries hadn't been extensive, she had still been physically hurt by some debris from the Talon. The Talon was being rebuilded. When she got out of the hospital, she had nowhere to live. Atleast Jason was conscious now. He could limp, though was far away from being able to walk.

She finished her meal and went to dump the contents in the trash. Then she walked out of the cafeteria. She walked briskly, so they would have a hard time catching up to her if they were following her. She turned repeatedly, they were nowhere to be seen. Nowhere at all. Suddenly, looking up at the mirror high in the corner, she saw them. They were walking slowly, at a normal pace and if she hadn't been on alert, she wouldn't have even noticed them.

Her pace quickened. Their's stayed the same, though they kept up with her. She slipped in to a bathroom and stayed in their for a few minutes, listening. They wouldn't come in, would they? She prayed that they wouldn't.

* * *

"SHE'S COMING OUT OF THE BATHROOM." Eddie whispered up to his taller companion, Brock. 

"Yes, moron, I see that." Brock snapped.

Eddie knew not to come up with a smart answer for Brock. He would lose his neck. They followed the chick at a distance, making sure that she couldn't see them. She seemed carefree, like she knew no one was following her, but Eddie wondered sometimes. This chick….there was something about her.

They followed her up to her boyfriend's floor. He had already been moved out of critical condition. She entered the room and closed the door behind her. Brock whispered in to his earpiece, "Back up, back up, she could be in there." A couple of minutes later, some men arrived.

"O.k.," Eddie said, "We do this quick and easy. Make this look like a random shooting. Maybe pop a shell in to the Jason kid's arm." They all bore their guns. "But listen," Eddie said quietly, "You know the rules, if the boy is permanently hurt, Ms. Teague is going to have your ass."

And with those words, all hell broke loose.

* * *

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: THANKS _

AuroraKnight

smallvillechic110

junior1985 Especially you, Junior

Taril

for the reviews. Tell me what you think of this chapter.

* * *


	17. ASSASINS

**"She told you?"** Lois hollered.

Clark swallowed. "Ummm, yeah."  
Lois looked like she was about to hit Clark. Instead, she breathed in, and crossed her arms. "Why did you not deem it important to tell me?"

"I ummm, I-''

"Just shut up, Smallville." Lois rested her head on the steering wheel. Clark looked down at his feet awkwardly.

"I'm sorry, Lois." He muttered under his breath.

"What?" She turned to him, not having heard.

"I said I'm sorry." He replied, turning to her. "I just…couldn't tell you."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever."

Clark turned, staring out of the window. "Do you want me to leave?"

Lois was silent for a moment, then she shook her head. "As much as I dislike you right now, I really need your help to find her."  
Clark nodded. "I'll do whatever I can to help out."  
"Good. Hopefully, you'll make up for your stupid mistake." Lois puffed on her cigar and blew smoke in to his face. He coughed and held his breath. She smirked.

"That stuff could kill you, you know?" Clark said, waving smoke away.

"I like to live life on the edge." Lois replied.

"How cliché." He said.

Lois was about to reply when Clark noticed a truck coming by. It was big, easily 6 times the size of Lois's car. Something about the insignia on the driver's door caught Clark's eye. Something. Yes. He remembered something. 3 more trucks like these past by. Suddenly, Clark remembered.

"Follow that truck!" Clark yelled, pointing to the nearest one and hitting Lois's shoulder.

"Jesus Christ, Clark, what do they feed you in that farm?" Lois yelled out in pain.

"Sorry," Clark apologized, pointing, "but please, follow that truck."  
"Why?" She asked.

"Just follow the truck!" He hollered.

"Alright, alright, touché." Lois raced after the truck. She pulled up beside it. The driver looked down at them. There was a moment of recognition. The driver was one of the robots that had been on the Kent farm that day.

The robot instantly recognized Clark. With that single moment of truth, he reached behind him.

Lois, even though not knowing the situation, knew what this meant. She veered wide left as the hail of machine gun bullets aimed at the car struck the road, burning it up. One bullet hit Clark's side review mirror and ripped it off the car.

"Asshole!" Lois yelled at the driver, "You're gonna pay for that!" Another hail of bullets was released. This time, Clark grabbed the steering wheel and turned it away. The car veered off and the bullets headed for a passing motorcyclist. Clark's Super speed allowed him to hastily reach out and grab the bullets, crushing them in the palm of his hands, unseen to the human eye. He dropped them to the ground and turned, to make sure Lois wasn't looking. She wasn't. Clark lightly tapped her on the head and she fell, unconscious. While steering, Clark put her in the back seat. He got in the driver's seat. He followed the truck, and switched lanes so they were on his right side and he was right across from the passenger door.

"Here we go!" Clark yelled. While steering with his right hand, he reached out and grabbed one of the pipes on the truck. Clark applied his strenght so that he dragged the truck slightly away from it's designated route. He dragged it closer to the speeding car. Clark's strenght would easily allow him to carry it, but he had a much better plan. He opened the door of the car, knowing Lois would curse him out if she ever saw this, he braked the car and simultaneously jumped out, landing on the side panel of the truck. Lois's car though, had safely stopped.

"You little bastard!" The robot shouted. He raised his machine gun and fired. The bullets bounced harmlessly against Clark's chest. They fell, flattened, to the ground.

"Remember me?" Clark asked. He looked around. Most of the other cars had stopped for Lois and the other's weren't looking. "Here goes," Clark whispered. He grabbed the passenger door and tore it off it's hinges. Then he tossed it on the ground, entering the car.

The robot was holding a thick knife. He jabbed it at Clark, but it shattered against his arm, breaking in a dozen little pieces. Clark hammered the robot in the chest, sending him flying back so he flew through the door, taking it with him, and landed twenty ft. away from the truck. Clark steered the truck. It was because of his strenght. He could easily run after the other trucks, but first, he had to see what they were doing.

He followed them at a normal rate, putting on a cap so they wouldn't recognize him if they looked. Atlast, they stopped at the Smallville Medical Center. They all got out, Clark with his cap pulled down over his head. Clark prayed that they wouldn't recognize him. Instead, the fifteen robots, including our favorite teenage hero. One robot turned to him and passed him a M16. They were all heavily armed. When the robot turned around, Clark quickly took out the clip and emptied in a trash can, then he returned the clip.

A tall, menacing looking robot spoke to each of them, "Remember," He said, "Both the Lang girl and her boyfriend, o.k.?" All of them nodded. Clark almost choked. So they were after Lana. By god, Clark would make sure they wouldn't get there. Still acting the part, they made their way up the stairs. They checked Lana's room 1st, then headed up to Jason's room. Clark kept his head down during all of this. They reached the hallway, silently. There was a nurse there. Some of the robots raised their guns, prepared to shoot.

"I'll take care of her," Clark said, trying to make his voice sound as robotic as possible.

"Good." Said one of them.

Clark grabbed the frightened nurse's arm and covered her mouth before she could scream. He then dragged her to a secluded area. "Listen," He whispered, as she was aimlessly trying to bite him, "They want me to kill you, but I'm not going to. O.k.?"

She nodded. He removed his hand. She was silent, obviously scared.

"Now, I need you to scream." He whispered. She looked up at him questioningly, "Just scream," He muttered, frustrated. She screamed. "Now go, quietly." She nodded and scurried away. Clark came back to the robots. A few of them looked suspicious.

"Why wasn't there gunfire?" One asked.

"I broke her neck." Clark answered simply.

With that, they continued down to Jason's room. Just as Clark was prepared to make his move, the robots saw them. There were men, heavily armed, already outside. It was obvious that they were about to open fire on the inside of the room.

The leader of the robots pointed, "Kill them!" He shouted.

The robots hastily obeyed orders, unleashing a hail of gunfire. Clark knew he couldn't blast them, it was too dangerous. But he had to save those men, even if they could have killed Lana. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared.

* * *

THEY WERE IN NEW YORK NOW. Manhatten to be exact. Evidently, Bart had forgotten he had a savings account. Evidently. It contained $20,000. Chloe didn't even want to know where that kind of money had come from. She simply waved it away when he tried to explain. She understood though. He wasn't a petty crook. He rarely stole from middle class. RARELY. He instead stole from the 'golds.' 

They rented an expensive suite at the Ritz. Despite being on the run, literally, She had never had so much fun. He took her to see the statue of liberty. They ran over the water. They even snuck in to one Knick's game, easily of course. They were rarely on guard, knowing that if they were ever caught, Bart could easily get them out of the jam. Still, Chloe missed Smallville. She missed Her Dad, Lois, Lana, and yes…….Clark Kent. She rarely thought about him anymore. She didn't. Not with Bart. There was never a dull moment in there relationship. They progressed gradually, learning much about each other, even though they had only been away from Smallville for less than three days. They became more intimate, stopping short of erotic though. They both weren't ready and they both accepted it. That's what made it so much more special, Chloe thought, as they walked along the sidewalk, holding hands. Her head rested on Bart's shoulder, and he had his arm firmly around her.

She was carrying a shopping bag filled to the brink with clothes. She had insisted that one pear of jeans and a tank top was enough, but Bart wouldn't have any of it. We bought out half the store, Chloe mused.

"What are you thinking about?" Bart asked.

"You." She said, smiling warmly.

"Good or bad?" He asked.

"Good," She smirked, "But in a naughty way."  
Bart pushed her playfully. She laughed and fell back in to him. They both tripped and fell, laughing. After just sitting there, holding her, they finally got the strenght to stand up. They walked on.

"Let's get some food." Bart said. They stopped at a hot dog stand. Bart got a chili dog and Chloe got a sausage sandwich. She sat down as Bart went to buy them drinks. She looked around smiling. Somebody caught her eye. Was that? No it couldn't be. Please don't be. It was one of the men that had attacked them at her house! She stood up shaking and he smirked. A truck passed between them. Chloe squinted. The man was gone!

"Something wrong?" Bart asked, appearing with a Vanilla Pepsi and a Mountain Dew. Chloe swallowed and shrugged. It could have been paranoia. She wasn't going to ruin their perfect day over something that might not even have been there.

"No," she shook her head, teasing, "Just looking at that cute guy over there."  
Bart grabbed her playfully and kissed her lightly. He drew back and looked down at her closed eyes, "Still thinking about him?" He asked.

"Who?" Chloe asked dreamily.

"I thought so." Bart said proudly. He pulled out a chair for her. She sat down and he appeared in the seat across from her.

"Bart," Chloe said, feigning annoyance, "Not in public!"

"Catch me if you can, babe." He smiled.

"Don't do it, Bart." Chloe said, trying not to smile with him. What a beautiful smile.

He grabbed the ketchup bottle and squirted it over her head. The sauce flew over her head, then started to descend towards her. Then, it disappeared. Chloe crossed her arms and looked at Bart. He was in his seat, licking ketchup off the corners of his mouth.

"Show off!" She hissed.

"You know you love it when I do that, babe." He smirked.

"No, I don't." She lied.

He smiled, "Sure you don't."  
"O.k., I do," She admitted, "But that doesn't give you a right to just do it!" Chloe snapped, trying desperately to feign annoyance.

"Who's going to stop me?"

"Well, somebody might see you!" She grabbed his sleeves to prevent him from demonstrating how fast he was. "O.k., you're t fast to see, but it's just not right."  
"Who said anything about right, babe."  
"You know I hate it when you call me babe." Chloe lied.

"Sure you do, babe." He smirked leaning back in his chair. He bumped in to a man who was sitting behind them.

"Watch what you're doing, you little punk." The man snapped, turning around, dropping his big chicken wing in to his plate.

"Sorry." Bart said innocently. The man turned to see his chicken wing was gone. It dropped from above, landing on his head and splattering sauce all over his carefully made up hair. The man turned around quickly and his chair tipped back falling. He stood up, prepared to hit someone. The blonde boy and blonde girl were gone.

* * *

**BROCK EDWARDS** turned just in time to hear the sound of firing. Eddie and his whole squad snapped back as the hail of bullets came towards them. Eddie closed his eyes. Everyone did. A few seconds later, they opened them, surprised to be alive. The bullets were gone! After the moment of stunned silence from both sides, Brock finally had the sense to open fire. It was an all out war between the robots and the mercenaries. Bullets flew across the room, blasting through walls. The robots got hit often, but they were barely affected, only dropping back slightly and regaining their composure. 

Clark took this time to head to Lana's room. Countless rounds hit Clark but collapsed harmlessly to the ground. A robot raised his arm to one man. The arm turned in to an axe. The axe headed straight towards the man's face. Clark caught the arm and crushed it. Then he grabbed the robot and flung it out of the window. It fell to the ground below.

"Thanks, man." The mercenary said, "Too bad. You'd have made a good soldier." He raised his hand gun and fired at Clark. Clark disappeared. The mercenary looked around. "What tha hell?" A bullet was headed towards him. He sprang back but it was stopped when Clark appeared in it's path. The bullet hit his back and fell harmlessly to the floor. Clark clapped the man on the head, knocking him unconscious.

There was a bullet fight going all around. One man was aiming at him. Clark crushed the nozzle of the gun and hurled the man in to a robot. They flew through a wall. A robot swung at Clark. Clark ducked and grabbed the robot's arm, breaking it off. Then, he slammed the robot through the floor. A man smashed his machine gun against Clark's back. The gun broke in to half. Clark upper cutted him. The man flew and hit his head on the ceiling. Then he went towards the ground, breaking a table in half.

A robot smashed Clark in the chest. Clark flew back in the air and in to a man. They were both thrown in to a wall. The man was unconscious, but Clark was fine. Clark got out of the wall and zipped towards the robot, spearing it. They flew back in to a pole, cracking it in half, and then in to a bunch of sofas. Clark punched the robot in the face and it's head flew in to the air. Clark grabbed the head and crushed it. It's circuits were ruined.

Clark zipped towards a man and smashed him in the chest. The man flew back and through a wall. He landed and stood up groggily. Clark appeared in front of him. Clark flung the man through the hole he had just come from and right in to the path of a robot. The robot flung the man in to another wall. Clark appeared behind the robot and grabbed it's head, twisting it off it's screws. Then, Clark grabbed it around the waist and hurled it out the window. Clark heard something. He focused. It was a "Help!" coming from Lana's voice. He instantly zipped off.

* * *

THEY were going down the emergency exit. At the time it had seemed to be a good idea. But not now, since she had to support Jason throughout the long journey. He wasn't deadweight but damn close to it! 

"Leave me here." He mumbled.

"No." She muttered, trying desperately to keep her balance.

"Leave me here, dammit!"  
"No, Jason. I'm not going to lose you." He fell on her then, and they almost collapsed together. Lana caught a bar rail and supported herself with her foot. She cried out loud. She looked down at her aching, throbbing ankle. Thank god it wasn't already swollen.

"Stop being the hero, Lana, get the hell out of here." Jason managed.

Lana put her hand under his chin and lifted it up, eyes blazing, "Would you listen to me, dammit? I said I'm going to get you out of here and that's just what I'm going to do, o.k.?"  
He was too tired to argue. All he managed was, "I love you, Lana." She smiled. This added to her newfound strenght. Their struggled down together, one step at a time.

"Hey, you!" yelled a voice. They looked up. It was one of the robots, pointing from the window they had just escaped out of. He was pointing an AK-47 at them. "Rest in Peace!" He shouted before he pulled the trigger.

CLARK could see the robot just beginning to pull the trigger. With all his might, he zipped through the room and tackled it. They both went down, on to the escape and over the balcony. Clark reached out and grabbed the rail while the robot grabbed his foot.

"Clark!" It was Lana. He couldn't use any of his abilities just yet.

"Lana!" He cried out.

"Oh, my god." She ran up to them. She looked around for something. Yes, the robot had dropped his gun when Clark had attacked him. Lana grabbed the gun and walked up to them. Clark was hanging on frantically, or atleast trying to look like he was. With one look at the boy she loved, Lana knew what she had to do. She opened fire on the robot, severing his one wrist. Only one hand remained. The robot drew himself up to Clark's level.

"I have something for you!" He whispered to Clark. With that, he drew a piece of glowing green kryptonite from his pocket and put it in Clark's flannel shirt pocket. He hit Lana in the leg so that she stumbled back and fell down the stairs, landing unconscious.

"Lana!" Jason screamed, maneuvering in to a seating position on the stairs. "No!"

"Goodbye!" yelled the robot and he slammed his fist in to Clark's knuckles and let go. With one last look at the girl of his dreams who was unconscious and hurt, Clark Kent slipped off the balcony railing and plummeted towards his death.


	18. DISCOVERED

**Clark.** Yes, it was Clark, Martha Kent concluded. He had fallen. He was dropping at a startling distance. They had taken Jonathon. He had been unconscious. The Gunfire. The…..everything. Such a haze of emotions. The hospital was being evacuated. Martha breathed deeply. He was fallen. He had fallen. Martha had heard Lana scream his name and she had instinctively run back in to the room. Oh, god, please don't let me be too late.

She'd rushed out to the balcony. The familiar red flannel shirt and carefully pressed jeans. There was no one else it could be. Without another thought, she pushed the retractable stairs out. There was no other way. She only hoped it would be long enough. Please. Please. Clark plummeted, unconscious.

Martha held on to the retractable stairs and closed her eyes tightly. Please. Please. And he fell. He bounced in to the stairs, his motionless body barely landing away from the edge. The position of the unconscious boy looked like he would tip over the edge. He could not move. Martha pressed down with all her weight, knowing it might be too little. Clark was much heavier than her. With her last surge of strenght, Martha pushed.

Clark's body rolled once, then twice, and then….yes! It tipped over, right on to her. Martha stumbled back, almost bashing her head against the bedside. She groggily managed to stand up and could have shouted for joy. He was safe! Her baby was o.k. She rushed to the unconscious form and put his head on her lap.

"Clark," She whispered, stroking his long, curly hair. "Wake up, baby. Wake up."

She noticed something. His veins were turning green. She gasped with recognition. She desperately felt around his body, trying to get the kryptonite. His body started shaking in spasms. "Oh, no, please wake up!" She almost sobbed. She grabbed the shirt and pulled. He was too heavy to hold up. She put her knees on his ribs and jerked at the shirt despite his moans.

"Please, please!" She desperately tore off the buttons. He started to groan some more, his lips quivering.

"Somebody help!" He groaned out in spasms.

"I'm here." She said.

With that, she tore off his shirt. His head rolled off her lap and on to the hard, cold ground. His breath rate increased rapidly.

"Oh, baby!" Martha cried again as she gathered him in her arms.

Clark began to cough and gain consciousness. "Mom?" He asked woozily.

Martha nodded emotionally, "Yes, baby, it's me."  
Clark groaned and wrapped his arms around her. "Mom."  
"It's me." She whispered soothingly.

"Lana's up there." Clark realized, standing up. He grabbed his shirt, "I gotta go save her, mom."

Martha was concerned, "Are you sure Clark?"  
"Yes, I've got to go save Lana. I'll be back in an instant." Clark turned around, preparing to speed off. He turned right in to the face of Sheriff Addams. "Oh, ummm, Sheriff Addams, it's you." He cleared his throat.

"Yes, Kent. It's me. And I smell something funny."  
"Oh, there's ummm, nothing funny going on, ma'am."

"Don't ma'am me, Kent. You could have gotten your mother killed!" She rushed over to Martha's side and lifted her up gingerly. "You o.k., Martha?"  
Martha nodded, "Yes, thank you."  
"Why weren't you evacuated?" Addams asked.

"I ummm, had to….get something."

"How'd he get in here?" She asked, pointing at Clark, "He wasn't in here when everybody was being evacuated."  
"I kinda…..snuck in."  
"On a school day?"  
"I…..ummm……I guess so."

"Been skippin' school, Kent?"

Clark swallowed.

"I asked you a question. Back in my day, you'd have gotten a whippin' for bein' so rude. The youngstas' of these days. You can be sure your principal will know about this."

"Yes ma'am." Clark muttered.

"C'mon, Martha," Addams said, putting her arms around Martha's shoulders, "Let's go. And you too, Kent."  
"Is the gunfight still going on?" Clark asked.

They heard the distant sound of bullets.

"What do you think, Kent?" Addams asked sarcastically.

"What about the people up there?" Clark asked, concerned.

"They're getting down."

"And Lana?"

Addams crossed her arms. "How'd you know Lana was up there?"  
Clark cleared his throat, "I…ahhh…"  
"He's gone to visit her." Martha said.

Addams nodded slowly, "O.k. Well, your little girlfriend's o.k. They found her on the fire escape. Smart girl, that one. If she hadn't thought fast, she'd probably be dead right now."

"And Jason?" Martha asked.

"He's fine." Addams answered, "They found her unconscious. The boy was holding her. Couldn't really move either. Those 2, they're meant for each other."

Martha couldn't bear to look at the sorrowful expression Clark would undoubtedly be wearing on his face.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps. They all looked at each other worriedly. They were pleasantly surprised when it was only a bunch of armed policemen. "Is everyone here o.k.?" The leader asked.

"Yeah, fine." Addams nodded.

"Have you evacuated the building, sherif?" The leader asked.

"I think so. 89 at the very least."  
"That's good. We're going in."  
"Be careful."  
The leader turned to one of his men. "Take them downstairs."  
The man nodded and turned to Addams. "Let's go, ma'am."

"Thank you." She said.

They made their way off the floor and down through an elevator. There was smoke around everywhere. When they got to the ground floor, Addams fixed a glare on Clark, "Listen, Kent, you take care of your mom and try not to get in to any trouble. Because if you do, I'll find you, got it?"  
Clark swallowed and nodded, "Yes."

"Yes? Back in my day you'd a gotten a whippin' for just saying yes."  
Clark bit his lip, "Yes, ma'am."  
"Don't ma'am me. Just take care o' your mom."  
With that, Addams stormed off.

Clark grunted and turned to Martha, "Are you o.k., mom?"

"Yeah," She said softly, "I'm still kind of shaken. I thought you would die up there, Clark?" Her whole body was shaking.

Clark was touched. He sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulders, "I'm o.k., mom."  
"I know," She sniffed, "It's just. It was so hard to watch you. I….I didn't know what to do."  
A nurse scurried towards them, "Martha," she said, "Jonathon is being taken towards a private ward. Would you like to go with the van? He's conscious."  
Martha nodded, "Yes, sure, I'll be right there." She turned to Clark as the nurse walked away, "We got a call from your school."  
Clark swallowed, "You ummm…did?"  
"They said you beat up a boy, broke his fist. Clark, what did we tell you about fighting? Someone could have been killed!"  
"I didn't do anything, Mom."  
"Then why are a boy's parents trying to sue us?"  
"Sue?" Clark asked, shocked. "But he hit me!"  
Martha raised an eyebrow, "He hit you?"  
"Yes. That's how he broke his fist."  
Martha sighed. "I know it's hard, honey."

"He was talking about Lana, mom. I wanted so badly to hit him."  
"I know it's hard, honey."  
"Hard? That's an understatement, mom."

Martha sighed, noting the hurt in his eyes. "I'm proud of you for restraining yourself."

He smiled, appreciatively. "Thanks, mom."  
Martha kissed his cheek. "I've got to go, honey. I'll write a note to your school."  
He nodded as she walked away. "Figures," He murmured. Suddenly, a fist hit his shoulder. Clark turned around hurriedly. It was Lois, standing with her arms crossed in an angry expression.

"Smallville." She said through clenched teeth.

"Hey, Lois," He said, forcing a smile.

"Don't 'Hey, Lois' me, Clark Kent, why tha hell did you leave me?"  
"They were shooting at us!" He said incredulously, "There's a shootout going on in the hospital."  
"So…you just decided I'd slow you down. Just left me?"

Clark sighed. "I'm sorry, Lois. I was trying to save you."  
"This whole hero complex thing. It's got to stop."

He nodded.

She took pity on him. It had been thoughtful of him to think of keeping her safe. "What exactly knocked me out?"  
"Ummm," He started, "I….don't know. I just turned around and there you were, head against the steering wheel." She seemed to believe it.

"Alright. How're your parents doing?"  
"My dad got wheeled off to a different hospital."  
"Oh, and your mom?"

"She went with him."  
"What about that Lana girl?"  
"She's o.k. They found her unconscious."  
"Her boyfriend was with her?"  
"Yeah, his name is Jason."

"Whatever. Any bodies?"  
"Not so far, no."

"If Chloe was here, she'd already have a scoop for the torch."  
Clark nodded, smiling.

"So…..where do we go from here?" She asked.

"I'd like to go home right now," Clark smiled.

"Need a ride?" She asked, pointing to her car.

"Yeah." He said, smiling.

They headed towards her car. There was some scraping on the side, obviously from the earlier event. Lois held her hand out, stopping Clark. "And do me a favor, Smallville," She smiled sweetly, "The next time you see something that you recognize, you can run after it yourself.

* * *

It was him. The Allen boy.

"It can't be him," Eduardo argued.

"Shut your goddamn mouth," His friend, Sancho replied.

"C'mon, Sancho, man, how tha hell would he make it to New York without us knowing about it. There's no fucking way."

"Shut your mouth or I'll put a bullet through your skull," Sancho said.

They made their way out of the airport and carried their luggages to the car port. They waited patiently until a taxi stopped in front of them. Then, they got in.

The driver turned around, "Good to meet you."  
Sancho ignored the greeting, "Show us what you've got."  
The driver pulled out of the airport and they drove in silence until they reached a secluded area. He then reached in to his dashboard. Sancho raised his pistol and pointed it at the man's head.

"Aye, man, what's going on here?" The driver raised his hands.

"Don't try anything funny." Eduardo said.

"Jesus Christ, man, I'm trying to show you something."  
"Try anything funny," Sancho said, "And I'll blow your head away, got it?"  
The driver nodded. "Yeah, man, whatever." With that, moving slowly, he got out an envelope.

"You better have everything, man." Eduardo said.

"Yeah, man. I don't fuck with the Luthors for nothing."  
"You better not."  
Eduardo grabbed the envelope and tore it open. Inside were photos of Bart and Chloe at the hot dog stand, calmly sipping their drinks and talking. "That's him," He said, turning to Sancho.

"You think I'm stupid? Of course it's him."  
"Good," Eduardo said, "Let's get going."  
"Wait!" The driver said holding out his hands.

"What do you want?" Sancho grunted out.

"C'mon, man." The driver whined.

"What tha hell do you want?" Eduardo yelled.

"We had a deal, man."

"What deal?" Sancho asked, crossing his arms.

The driver squirmed in his seat. "Don't play innocent man."  
"What goddamned deal!" Eduardo hollered.

"Listen, man," The driver said, "You pay me my money or else-''

"Or else what?" Sancho asked calmly.

The driver thought over his odds of beating the 2 men up. They were both atleast 5 inches taller and 35 pounds bigger than him, and one had a gun. "C'mon, man," He said relenting, "Just pay me back my money or I'm going to the cops.

"To tell them what?" Sancho snorted.

"That you bastards cheated me!" The man said.

"You think the cops are going to take pity on a little shit like you?" Eduardo asked calmly.

"What are you talking about?"  
"You little bitch. You think you're exempt from this? This is aiding and abetting. You're delivering a bunch of kids to us."  
The driver realized his mistake.

Sancho smiled. He reached in to his office and pulled out a police badge. On there was a photo of himself. Eduardo pulled out a similar badge. The driver knew from countless brushes with the law that these weren't fakes.

"Please, man." He forced out, "Just give me my money. My kids and I have got to eat, man."

Eduardo reached in to his pocket. "Not anymore" He muttered. In a quick second, he drew out a pocket knife and stabbed it in to the man's neck. The blade tore through the veins and entered his spine, severing some bones. In a matter of seconds, the man was dead. Eduardo withdrew the blade and calmly threw it on the floor. "Let's go." He said.

The 2 friends got out of the car, studying the pictures. Eduardo started walking. Sancho reached out and grabbed Eduardo's shoulder. "Hey, man," Sancho said.

"What's up?" Eduardo said, turning around.

"You know about old sayings, man?"  
"What are you talking about?"  
"Fables, Indian stories, stuff like that?"  
"Have you been smoking crack, man?" Eduardo asked, smiling.

"C'mon, man, have you?" Sancho asked seriously.

Eduardo nodded weirdly. "Yeah, I guess so. So what's your point."  
"I think you've heard this one."  
Eduardo waited for a moment, then asked, "Which one?"  
Sancho smiled evilly, "What comes around, goes around."

"What are you talking about?"  
"This." With that, Sancho grabbed the knife out of Eduardo's hand. He twisted Eduardo's wrist, instantly breaking it. Eduardo screamed. Sancho plunged the knife in to Eduardo's neck, making the smaller man fall to his knees. He groaned, blood spilling out of his mouth.

"Uhhh," He groaned before he died.

Sancho watched for a moment, smiling. Then, he made his way back to the car. He looked at the dead driver for a moment, then he withdrew a vial from his coat. He entered the car and plunged the dial in to the man's neck. The fluid raced through the veins healing all the body parts. In a matter of seconds, the dead driver was alive. He coughed.

Sancho laughed and clapped his back, "You o.k., Miguel?"  
Miguel chuckled and coughed, "Yeah. Wasn't sure that would work."  
"If it hadn't, we wouldn't be talking, now would we?"  
"I'd have been meeting my maker."  
"Good to have you back, brother." Sancho said.

"Good to be back." Miguel replied.

* * *

HE wasn't it Smallville. He wasn't even in Kansas. If he had been, I would already have found him, Lex thought as he leaned back in his chair. He was bare-chested, in his private chambers. The only thing he was wearing was a robe. He looked at his laptop. No reports. He stood up in his humongous bedroom and made his way to the bed.

Kristena lay on his bed, hair sprawled around her, naked.

Lex sipped calmly on his vodka and walked over to her. He took off his robe and set it aside. He lay down beside her, "Hey, baby." He whispered.

She moaned and turned over, "Is it morning already?" She asked.

"It's almost noon," He replied.

She reached out and stroked his chest, "You know, you're sexy in the morning."  
"Is that so?" He asked.

"Yeah," she purred.

The rolled over to him and kissed him deeply. He returned the passionate kiss. She wrapped her arms around his bare back. He stuck his tongue in to her lips and she moaned around his mouth. Suddenly, the phone rang.

"I'll have to interrupt this little meeting." Lex said.

"Oh." She said disappointed.

Lex smiled and walked over to the phone. He picked it up, "You have anything?" He asked.

"No, sir."  
"I guess it was a fake."  
"Yes, sir." Miguel said.

"Goodbye."

* * *

MIGUEL HUNG UP. He then dialed another number. The man picked up. "Hello?"

"Mr. Rafferty," Miguel said, "We have something."


	19. CONNECTIONS

**Lex **pulled his brand new Cadillac Escalade 2005 in to the parking lot of the old, deserted warehouse and waited for a moment. He looked around, not exactly frantic, but a little flustered. He was atleast 11 miles away from the nearest city, which was Metropolis, and he was pretty anxious to get out of there as fast as possible. If it hadn't been for his source, he sure as hell wouldn't be here. He had received the call a few hours earlier, his source had another scoop for him. His source had rarely failed him, feeding him information on his father. They both knew it was very dangerous work, and the 'mole' got compensated well for it.

"Where are you?" Lex muttered, glancing at his diamond studded Rolex.

"Right here," said a voice.

Lex snapped back in to attention. "Please refrain from doing that again," he said, getting out of the car.

"Sure thang, boss," said Marty Brooks, smacking the gum in his mouth. He was 6ft. 5 inches, of obvious Korean descent, and heavily muscled. His chin was square and strong, his eyes bored, and his blonde, red striped hair hung down past his shoulders. All in all, he was a bizarre but menacing sight to behold. Brooks dropped his cigar and stomped on it.

"Don't call me boss." Lex snapped.

"What's the deal, boss?" Marty chuckled.

"You're late, that's what the deal is."  
"Yes, boss, you had to wait for a couple of minutes. Big goddamned deal with the information I'm giving you."

Lex sighed and put his hands in the pockets of his silk coat. "This better be quick, Marty."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Marty strode in to the warehouse and Lex followed after him. The small warehouse was made of solid brick. It's inside were small because of the thickness of the walls. A terrible stench filled the place, there were rats and obvious sewage residues. A perfect place for a secret 'meeting.'

"Uhhh," Lex said, covering his nose with a handkerchief, "You could atleast clean this place up a little."  
"Arrr, stop whining, boss. You sound like a woman."

Lex shook his head in disbelief, watching as Marty playfully slid his hand across a dirt infested wall. "Have you no belief in personal hygiene?" Lex asked in disgust.

"What the hell is hygiene?" Marty grunted.

"Never mind." Lex replied.

They stopped in an mostly empty room furnished only with two chairs and a tiny tea table. On it rested a laptop.

"Did you leave that here since my last visit?" Lex asked incredulously.

"Yeah, so what?" Marty replied.

"Do you know what my father would do if he found out what we were doing?"  
Marty waved it away. "Take a chill pill, boss, relax."

"Relax? Are you seriously talking about relaxing? Do you think, for one second, my father would spare a human life under circumstances like this? That he would even spare his own son? No, you don't know Lionel Luthor."  
"Perhaps I do….better than you." Marty said.

"Alright, show me the information."  
"Sure thing, boss." Marty said. He cracked his knuckles and got a diskette out of his faded denim jeans jacket. He slipped the disk in to the slot on the laptop and sat back, waiting. "Take a seat, boss." Marty said.

Lex took one look at the dirty chairs and replied, "I'd prefer to stand."

"Your call." Marty said.

Lex walked behind Marty as the document on the diskette was loaded and appeared in front of the computer screen. It was a part of document on Luthor Corp. Obviously illegal. "How'd you get this?" Lex murmured.

Marty shrugged, "I hacked in to the computer files."  
Lex raised an eyebrow, "I didn't know you knew how to hack."  
Marty smiled up at him, "There's a lot you don't know about me."

Lex nodded, "It appears so."  
The file was a list of some kind, about some kind of secretive clinic, or something like that. It had Lionel's signature on it.

"What does this have to do with my father?" Lex asked.

"Remember the guy you asked me to investigate after the Lane girl came to you?"  
"Yes. Phillip Rafferty."  
"It appears that he and your father have been working together for a while."

"Working together," Lex was puzzled.

"Yes….it appears…on little experiments."

This was getting juicy, Lex thought with a smile. "What kind of experiments exactly?"  
"Experiments on humans. Or if they can be called humans."  
"What exactly are you talking about?"  
"Robotics."  
"So, they're doing little experiments on Robots?"

"Affirmative."  
"But you just called them humans."  
"Yes. Turning humans in to Robots."  
"Why can't they just build they're own robots?"

"The problem with robots is their lack of judgement. If they are asked to follow a order, they don't have the state of mind to weigh the consequences. Say, if they are asked to murder somebody, that is their sole goal. To kill the person. They don't think of escape, cleaning up evidence, you know….the basics."  
Lex was confused, "Wouldn't that be good? I mean….No paper trails, no nothing."

"What happens, though, if the Robot is ordered to kill it's master?"

Lex was finally beginning to understand, "So...what exactly happens?"

Marty shrugged. He lit another cigar and puffed on it, "I don't know much. Only that they leave the brain intact."  
Lex dropped in to the other chair, not much caring about hygiene right now. "And what do they use the robots for?"  
"I don't know," Marty admitted, "But what I do know is that they use them as kind of Bounty hunters."

"For what?" Lex asked.

Marty rolled his eyes, "I repeat….what I do know is that they use them as some kind of bounty hunters."  
They sat in silence for a moment. Then, Lex stood up, "You did good, Marty," He said.

Marty cleared his throat, "And my reward?"  
Lex smirked. "Why, of course."  
Marty sat in anticipation as Lex reached in to his coat and pulled and a large, thick envelope. Marty tore it open to reveal a stack of hundreds, "Hot damn." He snickered.

"I'll be investigating further in to this." Lex said.

Marty shrugged, "Do what you gotta do, boss," As he counted his bills.

"You know, I think I might have underestimated you," Lex said.

"Of course you did," Marty replied, absentmindedly.

"If you could betray my father, who knows what you could do to me."  
"I wouldn't dream of it, boss." Marty said, still absentmindedly.

Lex strode up to Marty and grabbed his wrist. The envelope dropped to the floor, scattering money. Marty looked up. Lex had a cold, steel hard expression on his face. "You better not betray me," he said, "because no matter what happens to me, or anybody that I'm close to you, I'll make sure you pay."  
Marty nodded, a little frightened. Even though bigger than Lex, many men larger than his size had learned not to underestimate Lex Luthor. And those who hadn't….had died before they could. Lex smiled sweetly and calmly strode out of the warehouse.

* * *

CHLOE didn't want to bother him. He was so calm when he slept. Not worrying about getting caught, or worse, losing her. Chloe wrapped her arms around her self. She looked up at the moon through their apartment window. Illinois, Chicago. She'd always wanted to come to Chicago. They were having the time of their lives. She'd even gotten used to super speeding and now rarely had nausea. It was still a frightening experience, though it ended after a few seconds. She often wondered how Bart knew how to get to so many places. He'd reply while pointing to his head and say, "It's all up here."  
She looked at the newspaper again. The headline that said: SHOOTOUT IN SMALLVILLE MEDICAL CENTER. There were pictures on the front. An unconscious Lana with Jason by her side, A few patients she knew, most that she didn't, one of Mr. and Mrs. Kent, and one of Clark and Lois.

She sighed. Perhaps, a while back, she would have been jealous, but not now. There had been reported incidents of injured participants in the shootout. Been thrown through walls. Stuff like that. Some of the members had reported of a young teen, no more than twenty, tall, muscular, and had been invunerable to the bullets. No one had believed them.

Chloe smiled to herself, "Well, you've done it again, Clark."

"Done what again?" Bart sat up in bed again and stretched. His hair had grown and was splayed all around his head. Chloe snickered at the sight.

"Bad hair day?" She asked.

He made a face at her. "So….what is it about Clark?"  
"He was at the shootout." She said simply.

"Oh. Did he…..?"

"Yeah."  
"Did anybody see him?"

"The shooters did, but nobody really believes them. Atleast I hope not."

Bart cleared his throat and sat on the edge of the bed, "Chloe," he said, "There's something I want to talk about," He patted the side next to him.

"What is it?" Chloe asked, sitting beside him.

"Well, do you miss Smallville?"

Chloe shrugged. "I guess so. I miss my Dad and Lois. Why?"

"Well," he said, "I don't know how long this will last."

"You mean the whole hunting us down thing?"  
"Yeah," he said, almost smiling at the sarcasm in her voice. "The whole hunting us down thing. I don't know how long we'll have to run away from all of it."

Chloe sighed, "Neither do I, Bart. You're only human. An extraordinarily fast human."

"So….do you ever want to go back to Smallville?"  
She was shocked at the question, "Yeah, Bart, I have family there."  
He sighed, "I know, Chloe, it's just that I never want to lose you."

He was blushing again. "You're never going to lose me," She said softly.

"I'm sorry…..I just….I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you were hurt. No matter how cliché that sounds, it's real, Chloe. I mean it with all my heart."

And she saw that he meant it. It touched her heart. Someone to care for her. Something that was real. The hope, the joy, everything was real now. Please, let this last.

"You're cute when you blush," She smiled.

He rolled his eyes, "You've said that before."  
"Yeah, but you get cuter day by day."

He turned to a more serious matter. "Chloe, I think we're getting tailed."

"What?" Her heartbeat increased. If Bart thought it too, it couldn't be just simple paranoia.

"We're being followed, Chloe." The look on her face told him that she had suspected the same.

"When we were at the hot dog stand in New York," she said, "I thought I saw someone familiar."  
"Why didn't you tell me?" Bart asked.

"Because you have so much to worry about," she said, "Always worrying about me? I didn't want to alarm you."

"So we both know we're being tailed."  
"No, we both think we're being followed." They breathed in, considering this circumstance.

"How can they know?" He said to himself, "I move faster than anything. How could they keep track of us for so long?"

"Even if they had a tracker, you go at light speed, the thing might be burnt out. The only reason I don't get burnt to death is you don't go at maximum speed and I wear skin protectants. How could they keep track of us…..that is….if we're being followed?"

He leaned back against a nearby desk, "I have no idea."  
"Bart, if I'm going to help I need to know why Luthor Corp is after you."

Bart was silent for a moment. Then he said, "I think I robbed them."  
She was silent. "You think you robbed them?"

"Yes. I know it sounds weird. The Rafferty guy, he used some kind of drug on me."

"So….he basically hypnotized you with a drug?"  
"Yes. And he made me rob Luthor Corp."  
"Yeah, well a hell of a reason for the Luthors to want to come after you."

"Yes, isn't it?" He went in to the mini kitchen and returned a few minutes later with a mug of hot cocoa. "You want some?" He asked.

Chloe shook her head, "No thanks."  
He sipped lightly out of this. "Had you heard of Phillip Rafferty before this?"  
She shrugged her shoulders, "Yes, but I don't remember where. He wasn't exactly a big name in the medical field."  
"I see." He sipped again out of his mug.

"Who do you think is after you?" Chloe asked, "Lionel, Lex, or both?"

"I don't know."  
She stood up, "Most likely Lionel. He's in to the real underground stuff. Given, Lex is a Luthor, but if I had to choose, I think It'd be Lionel."  
"Why do you say that?"

"Lionel Luthor is a cruel, sadistic old man. I wouldn't put anything past him."  
"Lex isn't exactly a saint either."  
"Like I said, it's a given, he's a Luthor, But he's not like his father."  
"I wouldn't be so sure," He said, again gulping out of the delicious drink.

"What are you talking about?"  
"On the streets, I heard things about Lex Luthor."  
"Who hasn't?"  
"No, man. I went to Gotham city. It's no joke. Everyone knows not to mess with The Luthors there. Sure, Lionel is the chief executioner, but Lex……Lex is no better than he is. People have disappeared after bad mouthing Lex Luthor. I read about this guy, no big deal, local reporter, my point is, not important at all. He was trying to investigate Lex. Went undercover, did the whole thing. Well…..somehow, the Luthors found out and it was all over the news. Lex said that it didn't really matter. That he wouldn't sue. Everything was all right. Then, the reporter started saying stuff, like how he had found something and stuff….right. That night, he was going to be interviewed on the news. Live. The big stuff, everybody was going to tune in. 8:00, prime time, baby. Not many people were watching the game that night. Everybody was watching, waiting. Guy never showed up. Couple of days later, they find him. Well….half of him. They found his upper body. Legs were gone. Face burnt. Eyes cut out. Tongue swallowed. Gruesome sight, terrible. Few people even thought about going against Lex after that."

"Harsh, but there's no proof it was Lex."  
Bart laughed and slammed his mug against the table, a little angrily. The hot chocolate swayed on to the side, running on to the table. "Everyone knew it was Lex. The police knew it was Lex. But…like I said, Few people even thought about going against Lex after that."  
Chloe sighed, "It might have been Lionel."  
"We both know why It couldn't have been him."

"Yes," she admitted, "Lionel would never do anything like that for his son. For himself of course, but never for his own son. Lex Luthor may have a bigger dark side than I imagined."  
"Seems that way, doesn't it?"

"So what are we going to do?" Chloe asked.

"Watch….and wait."

* * *

MARTY was smoking his hourly cigar. Things were going at fast motion in Luthor Corp. Employees ran around, things were going normally, nothing to worry about. In truth, he too had repeatedly mentally chastised himself for leaving the laptop there. What a stupid mistake. He'd have to make damn sure that never happened again. Damn sure!

He chomped in to his Philly Cheese Steak sandwhich and licked his lips. He turned to the beefy black man next to him. The man had atleast 4 inches on him and was bald. "Hey, Tiny, you see the Chiefs game?" He asked.

Rudy 'Tiny' Damon smirked and nodded, "Yeah, man, they knocked the Packers of the charts like they were nothin'," he boomed, "Nothin'. Man, Hall got atleast 68 yards on the 1st kick return."

"Yeah, ole Brett got his ass knocked down," Marty said.

"Brett was nothing. Trent Green had least' a 120 rating."  
"Ole' Trent was scoring at will, wasn't he?"

"Yuppie. I can't wait till they play the Falcons. Let's see if Vick'n handle them."

"Michael Vick sure can."

"What 'bout Dunne? Ain't he a little small for the defense."  
"Don't be worryin' bout no Warrick Dunne. Little bastard'll run over everybody they got. I'll bet on that."  
"Bet then. It's a deal." They shook hands.

"Hey, Brooks!" A short man with short cropped blonde hair appeared, "Boss wants to see you."

Marty didn't feel the least bit scared. It wasn't unusual for Lionel Luthor to see privately with his employees. Marty gulped the last of the sandwhich down and threw the wrapper away. "Be seeing you, Tiny." He said to Damon.

"Have your money ready." Tiny said.

With that, Brooks followed the man to the elevator. He was surprised when the man pressed the down button. "Ain't the boss's office up?" He asked, with one index finger pointing upwards.

"I dunno. Boss wants to see you in the basement." He replied.

They reached the bottom floor and got out of the elevator. Before Marty Books could blink, a pair of arms grabbed him.

* * *

Lionel Luthor sat in his heavily furnished, spacious office and looked out at the beautiful city of Metropolis. He sat calmly, nodding in rhythm to the wonderful jazz playing on the radio that had his head shaking and his long, oily strands of hair that hung at his shoulders swiveling lightly.

It was just a matter of time. In truth, he hadn't put it behind Lex. Getting a snitch on his own father. It was not under Luthors. Lionel himself had done the same thing. He mentally commended his son. Had it not been for the stupidity of the snitch, Lionel would never have known. Lex, Lex, Lex. He was growing more like his father every day.

Suddenly, Lionel's cell phone rang. He waited until the 3rd ring, then took it out of the pockets of his silk trousers. "Hello?" He said in to the phone.

"We have him Mr. Luthor."  
"I'll be right down," Lionel said. He flipped the phone down and sat for a moment, just savoring the situation. With that, he stood up gingerly and made his way to the elevator. Marty Brooks had made the stupidest mistake of his useless life. He had crossed a Luthor, and unluckily, the worst one.

* * *

Marty Brooks, was at this moment, was a pitiful expression of human life. Brook's face was downcast, weary. His right eye was swollen shut. His cheeks were purpled and bruised, one was bleeding heavily from a blow from a cane. His lips were split and a large number of his teeth had been knocked out. Blood rolled down the corner of his mouth and rested on his beard, mixed with saliva and perspiration. There were bloody lacerations on his chest and two of his ribs appeared to be broken. One arm was dislocated. The room he was in was underground, a very secretive quarter of Luthor Corp. Few people knew about it. Most of those who did, had face the same fate that our current prisoner was facing. Many of them were dead.

Two guards were standing on either side of Brooks, both carrying loaded revolvers. They also wore iron gauntlets on their fists. There would not be need for heavier artillery. The subject had been heavily beaten and he was tied down. His chin rested against his heaving chest and he fought desperately for every breath.

"Pity, pity, pity," Lionel said as he walked in to the room. He clucked his tongue, "I'm not really one for repentance, but seeing your state, I wonder if I really should have been so cruel."  
"Go to hell, Luthor," Brooks spit out.

"Hell……..Hell is earth. Earth is hell. Merely a synonym."  
"What do you want from me?" Brooks asked, saliva dripping from his mouth.

Lionel walked closer to him, "I want answers."  
"About what?"  
"We both know." Lionel said, "Don't play these games with me."  
"Go to hell!" Brooks screamed. A guard swung and smashed Brooks in the face. The sound of the gauntlet smashing against the man's forehead was a terrible, crunching sound. Lionel winced as Brook's hollered. Blood now ran freely down his forehead and his nose. "You bastards let me go!"

"Will you concede as to your information. Or will this…..simple inquiry continue."  
"Inquiry? You're torturing me!"

"Torture. That's a harsh word. Let's simply refer to it as an….interrogation, shall we?"  
"Yeah? Well you can shove that little interrogation up your ass, Luthor!"

Lionel smiled, "You know, I'll get it out of you sooner or later, Marty."  
"Then it'll be later!"

Lionel nodded, "I admire your courage, persistence. However, I must inform you, this little charade is doing you no good. Simply give me my information, and I'll release you."  
"I'd rather wish to die than give anything to a scum like you," Brooks muttered.

"Be careful what you wish for, Marty."

"Don't call me, Marty. Only my friends call me that."

"Very well, but that is of little relativity. Give me the information immediately. What did you tell Lex?"

Marty looked puzzled, "Who the hell is Lex?"  
"Don't play these little games with me!" Lionel hollered, almost losing his temper.

"I don't know who you're talking about."

Lionel watched the man for a moment. "Very well," he said coldly, "If you wish to choose the more arduos method of our little discussion, who am I to dissent?" he turned to one of the guards, "Bring in the instruments." He said.

Marty didn't like the sound of that, "What are you going to do to me?"

Lionel smiled, "Make you wish to die."

* * *

Lex watched from his window, calmly sipping vodka. The red pickup truck pulled up to his gates. Clark got out and headed inside, not looking upwards to the observer. Lex waited a few seconds. Then his phone rang.

"Excuse me, Mr. Luthor, but a Clark- ''

"Send him up." Lex interrupted.

"Very well, sir." They both hung up.

Lex dropped in to his seat. No more than 45 seconds later, Clark entered the office.

"Clark," Lex said simply.

Clark cleared his throat, "Uhhh, hi, Lex."

"You haven't been here in a little while."  
"I was afraid you wouldn't let me in." Clark admitted.

"Despite our personal….differences, I could never be so obdurate. You are my friend, Clark. One of the 1st I've ever had in Smallville. Why don't you just take a seat?"

Clark forced a smile, "Thanks," he said, dropping in to the seat.

Lex leaned forward, "A drink?" He asked, pointing to the vodka.

Clark raised an eyebrow, "I'm underage."

"Really?" Lex leaned back, "It's amazing how much older teenagers act than they really are, isn't it?"

"I guess." Clark said weirdly.

"So, what could this little meeting be about?" Lex asked, refilling his glass.

"I just came to apologize."

"For what?"  
"You know. What happened."

"It's all behind us, Clark. It's over."

Clark swallowed. They sat awkwardly for a moment.

Then, Lex leaned forward, "Clark, I know."  
For some reason, Clark felt very alarmed at the moment. "You know what?"

"About, Bart." He murmured.

"What about Bart? What are you talking about?"

Lex smiled with his first triumph. "So you admit you know him."

Clark looked down, ashamed. He had just betrayed his friend.

"Please, Clark," Lex said, "Don't lie to me. I know about Bart's little, should we say…..abilities."

Clark gave up all pretense. "How'd you find out?"

"I saw the tape robberies."

"Please, Lex. He didn't do it willingly. The guy, Phillip Rafferty, he did something. Some kind of mind control. I don't know. But Lex, please, he's innocent."  
Lex pondered this for a moment. Then he sipped out of his vodka. "I think I believe you, Clark. But I don't know what to believe."

Clark squirmed in his seat, "He's innocent, Lex. Atleast believe that."

"Very well," Lex said, "For the start of this investigation in to the robberies, I'll believe he's innocent. Not for him, Clark, but for yours."

Clark smiled, gratified. "Thanks, Lex."

Lex looked at his watch. Then he cleared his throat, "Clark, I've been investigating under deep cover. I found something on Rafferty. One of my….acquaintances works at Luthor Corp, under my father. He feeds me information."  
"A mole?"  
Lex nodded, "Affirmative. He's a pretty good hacker too. Hacked in to Luthor Corp's private documents. Wholly illegal, but smart about it. He found a connection."

"Connection between what?" Clark asked.

"Phillip Rafferty and my father."

Clark leaned back, absorbing the news. "Wow," he said simply. He looked upwards, "What's the connection?"  
"They've been building some sort of robots. We don't know why yet. All I know is that they are using humans, their brains, and making them in to some sorts of super soldiers."  
"Why is your father involved?"  
"I'm yet to know."

Suddenly, a beeper on the desk began to sound. Lex lifted it. "It's Marty," he said.

"The mole?" Clark asked.

"Yeah."  
Clark stood up, "I guess I should be going."  
Lex shook his head, "No, no, come with me. Besides, two heads are better than one.  
Clark nodded, "Thanks, Lex."

Lex smiled, "No problem."

With that, they walked down to the garage.

* * *

The yellow Ferrari pulled up in front of the warehouse and came to a screeching halt. "You know," Clark said, "It wouldn't hurt to drive slower."

"What would the fun in that be?" Lex smirked, getting out of the driver's seat.

Clark shook his head and followed his best friend inside the warehouse. "This is where you normally meet?" Clark asked, holding his shirt up to his nose.

Not Buckingham palace, I know." Lex said, holding a handkerchief to his nose.

"That's an understatement." Clark replied.

It was Lex who smelled it 1st. They got up to the door of the meeting room and Lex shrank back.

"What's wrong?" Clark asked.

Lex said, "I can smell something in there, and it's not pretty." He opened the door. The corpse was unrecognizable. It was intact and had obviously been burnt. The skin on the face was missing. The hair on the head was gone. The body was mutilated and lacerated. The eyes were gone. All the joints were either dislocated or broken. The burnt skin was covered with dried blood and dead, rotten flesh.

Clark almost vomited. "That must be your informant."

"Or what's left of him," Lex replied, studying the grisly scene.

"Who did this?" Clark asked.

Lex smirked. "Who do you think?"

"Your father?"

"Yes. Of course."  
"Do we call the police?"

"I don't think that will be a good idea."  
"Why not?" Clark asked, a little surprised.

"Who knows what they'll think." Lex said.

"Does that really matter?" Clark asked, "What they'll think."  
"I've already been a suspect for murder," Lex said, "I won't be again." With that, he left and after a moment, Clark walked after him. They entered the Ferrari and zoomed off.

"So what do we do now?" Clark asked.

"I don't know, but this game just got a whole lot more interesting." And how true these words would be. How true.

* * *

Lionel sipped smoothly out of the martini glass. He swallowed. Then he picked up his cell phone and dialed a number.

"Hello?" Said the voice on the other end.

"Kristina," Lionel said, "I believe we have a problem."


	20. ENLIGHTENMENT

**Kristena Hilda** flipped her cell phone shut and for a moment started thinking. Lionel Luthor was not a man to raise false alarms like this. Though they both held a mutual…almost disdain for each other, she had to admit he was one of the smartest, most intellectually challenging men she had ever met. Kristena stared at the man across from her.

"So, Lex found out?" Phillip Rafferty asked.

"I didn't expect him not to." She admitted.

"Why didn't you take more precautions?" He snapped.

"You really don't know Lex Luthor, do you?" She asked, pushing away from her desk. "He's one of the smartest men I have ever met."

"Yes, but not smarter than me."

"I beg to differ," She said, lighting a cigarette. She puffed on it lightly, then blew some smoke in to his face.

He grimaced, then appeared behind her. She stumbled forward, a little scared. "Would you stop doing that?" she asked, coughing because she had choked on the cigar.

"You better not be screwing with me." He said coolly.

"What tha fuck are you talking about?" She snapped.

He appeared behind her and snatched the cigar out of her mouth, dropping it on the floor and stomping on it. "What I just said.

She wisely chose not to value the cigar over her life. "Why would I screw with you, I have as much to lose as you do."  
"You were in love with Lex Luthor once." He said.

"No!" she snapped.

"But you dated him."  
"That doesn't make me in love with him."

He studied her for a moment. Then he said, "Very well, but you better not let personal feelings get in the way of my plans."  
She grunted. "There were no personal feelings."

"I don't believe you," he said.

"Then you can kiss my ass." She said simply.

He smirked, "I admire your charisma, Inspector Hilda."  
"At this moment, I really don't give a damn."  
He smiled. He grabbed a bottle of water of her desk and sipped out of it. "You know, this partnership could really be improve if you weren't so hostile."  
"Make no mistakes," she said coldly, "This is not a partnership. If I didn't need this, I would not even be here."  
"But you do need this, don't you?"

"Yes, moron, it's what I just said."

He smiled and gulped down the water, "And the Allen boy?"

"What about him?" She asked suspicious.

"Do you have feelings for him?"

"Are you insane?" She hollered, "He's a goddamn kid."  
"No, Kristena- ''

"Inspector Hilda." She reproved.

He smiled, "Very well, Inspector Hilda. I don't mean personal. Just….you know….motherly."

"I don't even know the kid." She grunted.

"You showed him compassion."

"I couldn't just…let him suffer, you sick bastard."

"No, it wasn't empty compassion, I think you felt for him. You let him go."

"I was supposed to let him go."  
"Yes, but you proposed it to Lionel."

"Have a heart, Rafferty." She snapped, turning away from him.

"In this business, compassion has no place." He said coolly.

"So, did you just come here to lecture me?" She asked incredulously.

"No," he said calmly, "I simply came here to warn you."

"Of what?" She asked.

"Do not screw this up for me, Inspector Hilda. I have a lot to lose, and if I do, well…..let's just say you'll lose a lot more than finance and public status."

She stood up angrily. "Are you threatening me?"

He considered the question. "Take it as whatever you want."  
She pointed a finger at him, "Don't ever threaten me again."  
"I don't consider it a threat. A warning, maybe."  
"Get out of my goddamned office!" She screamed.

"Very well." He said, standing up.

She pointed a shaky finger at him, "Don't you ever come here again!"

"Surely, you don't mean that." He said softly.

"Yes, I do. Get the hell out of my office!"

"See you soon."

"Go to hell."

He walked slowly out of her office, and turned around at the door, "See you later, Kristena." He closed the door just as the glass bottle hit it and shattered. He smiled. He truly loved to shake this woman up.

* * *

IT was dark when Clark arrived back home. He drove the truck in to the compound and got out. As he was walking back to the house, he noticed a lot. Since Martha and Jonathon had gone to the hospital, he hadn't really been doing his chores. There had been so much to do and he barely even had time to do his homework now.

Clark made his way in to the barn. He heard loud barking from inside. Krypto was pawing at the door. Clark shook his head and opened it. Krypto jumped on him and they both fell back. Clark laughed. Luckily, he had fed the dog before he had gone to the Luthor Mansion, but Krypto was obviously famished.

He looked down at the muddy dog's fur and shuddered. Today was the day for a treat, he guessed. He warmed up a few slabs of steak in the microwave and set them down for Krypto to eat. The dog quickly devoured them and appreciatively burped. Clark chuckled. He led the dog out to the barn.

Krypto knew a bath when he saw one and had it been someone else bathing him, he would have easily escaped, but with Clark, he just growled and tried to slow himself down but to no avail. Clark got a change of clothes from the loft and dressed in a blue Smallville High T-Shirt with the S logo in the middle and red shorts. He also wore red, leather wet shoes and put a red towel around his neck for after the bath.

He soaped Krypto down and watched the dirt run down in to the grass. The dog whimpered and tried to kick away. Clark shook his head at the antics. He used a sponge to clean out Krypto's ear and even used an old brush for his teeth. By the time he was done, Krypto was the exact opposite of the mud confected creature he had been an hour earlier.

"Looking good, Krypto." Clark said.

The dog whimpered. Clark threw the water away and got a mope from inside. He thoroughly moped out the place that had been used for the dog's bath. Then he made his way back to the house, followed hesitantly by Krypto.

Clark locked all the doors and yawned. Krypto had a little shack in a corner of the den that made for a dog house, but he mostly slept in Clark's room. Clark turned on the TV, that was not surprisingly booming with news of the SMALLVILLE MEDICAL CENTER shoot out. Apparently, no one apart from the gun men had been injured. Most had escaped but a few had been captured, not surprisingly all human.

The nurse was on TV talking about one of the gunmen that had save her life. Clark beamed, atleast some good had come out of his little undercover mission. He considered calling Chloe but he knew her cell phone had already been discarded.

Clark microwaved a quick meal of macaroni and cheese and fed Krypto a few bites, then went upstairs. He quickly showered and brushed his teeth. Krypto followed him to his room. Clark closed the door, squinting, and fell on his bed.

"Get off me, farm boy!" A voice shouted from under the covers.

Clark instantly rolled of Lois and fell to the floor, on a heap. He quickly stood up and snapped on the light switch. "Lois!" He shouted incredulously.

"Lower down, would you!" she snapped, holding her head, "I have a headache."  
"What are you doing in my room?" He asked.

"What does it look like. I was sleeping before you interrupted the bliss."  
"You scared the hell out of me."  
"Well, no one asked you to get on top of me!" She clutched her side, "Hot damn! My ribs, what have you been eating, Kent? If anything's broken I'll knock you out."  
"Shouldn't you be at Chloe's house?"

"Now is not the best time. Mr. Sullivan is kind of depressed, you know?"

"Yeah, I guess, but you could have atleast called."  
"Not my style. You get the most dirt when you drop in out of nowhere."

"Dirt?" he asked incredulously.

"You know, a scoop, skeletons in the closet, Jesus, Smallville. You are plain out clueless."

"I know what dirt means, Lois, but why are you trying to get it from my house?"  
"Who knows what, or who, I might have found you doing. A way to prove Mr. 'Jimmy Crack Corn' isn't as innocent as he acts all the time."  
Clark shook his head, "Whatever."  
She sat up. Clark was embarrassed to see she was wearing only a T-Shirt and underwear. She noticed his reaction and smirked, "Enjoying the view?"  
"Go away," he said, blushing. Then, he noticed something, "Hey, that's my T-shirt!"  
She shrugged and yawned, "You'll get over it."  
He ground his teeth. This girl was so damn frustrating.

"Where've you been?" She asked.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I was with Lex."  
"What would the richest man in Smallville want with a designated farm hand?" Lois asked, taking a cigarette pack out from under his bed.

"You brought cigarettes in to my room!" He shouted.

She shrugged again. "So I brought in a few smokes."  
"You can't smoke in my room."  
"Watch me." She lit one and puffed lightly on it.

He shook his head disgusted, "I thought you were on the patch."  
She rolled her eyes, "Well, evidently I'm not."  
"How about the gum Chloe gave you?"

"Oh, please, I'd rather die of smoking than choking on that crap."  
He watched her smoke for a few moments.

"Anyway," she said, "What were you doing with Lex so long?"  
"Ummm, nothing." He said lightly.

"Whatever." She took a long, slow drag and blew a ring of smoke at him. He coughed and waved it away.

"Don't do that," he said, "I hate that stuff."

She smirked and blew an even bigger ring at him, "Even more of a reason to do it."  
He made a face. They all turned as Krypto began to bark. He ran in and jumped on the bed on to Lois. He licked her face. Trying not to smile, she snapped, "Get off me, you pesky mutt." She almost instantly began to sneeze and the cigarette flew right out of her mouth. Clark picked it up and threw it in his trash can before he could do anymore damage.

Krypto panted and jumped off Lois, triumphantly trotting back to his master. Clark bent down and ruffled his hair. "Good dog!" He said, smiling.

"That is one strong pesky little feline you got there." She said.

"Cats are felines," he corrected, "And-''

"Whatever."

Krypto barked.

"Ouch," Lois said, prodding the little purple wound on her arm, right next to the pink one that Clark had hit her on. Lois looked up at them, "I guess every Superman deserves a Super dog, huh?"

Clark raised an eyebrow.

"Well, it was better than the Man of Steel and Dog of Steel, right? So, anything on Chloe yet?" She asked, not expecting any information.

Clark had earlier asked Lex whether he could reveal it to Chloe's older cousin, and Lex hadn't really minded, as long as he kept Lois out of trouble. "Ummm, yes."  
Lois looked up, surprised, and jumped out of bed. "Yeah? Well, what is it! Come on, tell me."  
"Why don't we go downstairs?" Clark asked. He had made sure that there weren't any bugs downstairs but he hadn't checked the upstairs, and it would be kind of hard to get out of an exploding house with Lois and not reveal his secret.

"O.k." She said. She put on her slippers and they walked down the stairs.

"Aren't you going to wear shorts or something?" Clark asked.

"I tried on some of yours but they fit like trousers," she said, and to the look on his face replied, "I'm just kidding. Besides, I like to make you squirm."

Lois led the way to the kitchen.

"You want some coffee?" She asked.

"Yeah." He said, a little taken a back by her hospitality.

"Good," she said sitting herself on a stool, "Make one for me, extra cream and two packets of sugar."

Clark rolled his eyes and made his way in to the kitchen. The kettle had some hot water in it so he didn't have to use the microwave. He made to cups of Cappuccino and just in spite of her, only used one packet for hers.

He handed Lois her cup and she sipped it and licked her lips, "At least you have one talent," she said, again sipping the creamy, hot liquid.

"Thanks….I think." Clark sipped his coffee, and though it didn't feel hot at all, tried to seem as if it was.

"So," Lois said, "What'd you find about Chloe?"

"Well, it wasn't exactly about Chloe. It was more about Bart, but since she's with him it involves Chloe."  
"Go on."  
"Well, there's this guy. His name is Phillip-''

"Rafferty?" She asked.

Clark looked at her, shocked. "How'd you know?"  
"Oh, I met him at the café."

"Oh, yeah, how come you don't work there anymore?"  
"I quit. So anyway, go on. What does this guy have to do with my cousin?"  
"He's had some dealings with Lionel Luthor. We don't know, but we think it has to do with Bart and like I mentioned earlier, Bart is with Chloe."  
"Lionel Luthor?" She said, puzzled. "Are you sure it's not Lex Luthor?"

"Why would say that?" He asked.

"Well, just the other day, at the café, he had lunch with Lex."

"He what?" Clark was astounded.

"Yeah, he had lunch with him. And that's not the half of it, I saw him, in the back of the café, and he just like….dissapeared."

* * *

They'd checked everything. The insides of the cars, their room, their clothes, everything. Chloe was partly guilty because it might just be paranoia on her part, but Bart had assured her they couldn't take chances.

Bart was out now, gone to buy lunch, but he had his cell phone, just in case she needed to call him.

It was in the afternoon when her new phone rang. Only Lois knew about it so she instantly picked it up and asked, "Lois?"

"Yeah, it's me, little cuz."  
"What's up?" Chloe had asked that her older cousin only call in times of emergency and always use payphones, even though they both desperately missed each other.

"Chloe, Smallville and I-''

"Clark, Lois."

"Yeah, whatever. Kent discovered some kind of connection between the Phillip Rafferty-''

"Wait," said Chloe, surprised, "How'd you know about Phillip Rafferty."

"Just….never mind. Anyway, somehow Phillip Rafferty and Lionel Luthor are connected. Something's going on between them and it's not legal."  
Chloe sat up straighter, "How'd Clark get this information?"

"I don't know, said he's got his own connections."

Chloe nodded her head, "Thanks, Lois."  
"No problem, love you, baby cuz."

"I love you too, grown up cuz." Chloe said.

"Bye." The phone clicked off. Chloe sighed. She looked out on the street. Bart wasn't coming back. Suddenly, her phone rang again.

She flipped it open, "Listen, Lois-''

"Hello, Chloe." A deep voice said.

"Who is this?" Chloe asked frightened.

"Don't worry about that?"

"Do you have my cousin?" She asked.

"Oh, no, but we know where you are."

"How'd you find us?"

"I have my connections.

"Who are you?"  
"We both know who I am." He said.

"Phillip Rafferty?" She asked.

"Yes." He said, before the door burst open and the man with the machete ran towards her.


	21. APPREHENSION

**Now** Chloe Sullivan had always had quick reflexes. Admittedly, she was no god in athleticism or any sport athletically, but she had always been fast. Though Lois was bigger than her and no slouch as an athlete, Her smaller cousin had always been the fastest in the family. Perhaps it was her speed. Perhaps it was instinct. Perhaps it was just luck, but Chloe's body had hit the floor exactly a quarter of a second after the man burst in to the room. The momentum sent him flying across the bed and smashing in to the window, almost falling out. His head slammed through the window, sending small chunks of glass in to his neck. He screamed and fell back down.

Chloe instantly forced herself to her feet and quickly made her way to the door. She opened it just in time to see the axe swinging towards her. She slammed it shut and tripped back, watching the axe blade cut cleanly through the wood.

"Bart!" She hollered.

A single blow sent the door flying off it's hinges. A man of average height with bulging muscles came in. "He's not here!" Lazarus screamed, "There's no one here to save you!"

He picked her up by the hair. She kicked at him desperately. He roared with laughter.

"Let me go!" She screamed. She grabbed a fork off the nearby table and stabbed it at him. The points entered his cheeks and dug in to his skin, letting blood run freely through. Chloe reared back for another floor and this one went under his eye. She jerked it out. The man dropped her and screamed.

"I'll kill you!" He said, holding his empty eye socket.

Chloe crawled away. The 1st attacker now stood up.

"You'll die for this!" Miguel screamed.

Chloe stood up as he rushed at her. She waited till the last possible moment and dove aside. He ran right past and in to the closet, breaking the doors.

"Uhhh!" He cried out.

"Leave me alone!" Chloe hollered again.

"You know we can't do that, sweetie." A voice said from the doorway.

Chloe turned to Sancho.

"Please," she pleaded, "Let me go."

"Not a chance."

"I don't have anything to do with this."

"Where's Bart?" He asked.

"I don't know," she said, "he left me."  
"Where's Bart!" He hollered again.

"I don't know!" She hollered back.

"Don't lie to me." He said coolly.

"Please believe me, I don't know where he is."  
He walked slowly up to her. "You know what I do with liars?" he asked.

"No," she said, "but I know what you should do with your breath."  
He was silent for a moment, then he chuckled softly. "You have quiet a sense of humor."  
"Is that so?"

"Yes, but what good will it do if you're dead?"  
"Go ahead," she bluffed, "Kill me. Bart is long gone."

"No he isn't," Sancho said softly, "And we both know that, darling."  
"Don't call me that. I'm not your darling."

He lifted her chin with his finger.

"Don't touch me!" She yelled, slapping it away.

His eyes almost turned red with anger. "Never hit me again."  
"Never touch me again!" She retorted.

"You don't understand, do you darling?" He asked.

"What is there to understand?" she challenged.

He raised a hand and 20 men stepped inside. She gulped. Sancho smiled, "I'll do whatever I want with you, whenever I want."  
"Like hell you will." She said, her lip quivering.

"What did you just say?" He walked closer to her, eyes blazing with fire.

"She said Like hell you will!" Before anyone could say anything, Sancho went flying across the room in to the wall. Bart stood where Sancho had just been standing. Sancho smacked in to the wall and fell back in to the bed. He stood up, rather shakily, his forehead bleeding.

"You," he croaked out, pointing at Bart, "are going to pay for that."  
Immediately, the men rushed at Bart.

Bart grabbed Chloe and zipped through the number of men. Chloe was not ready though, and they stumbled at the top of the stairs, making them both lose their footing, and sending them tumbling. The rolled down the stairs awkwardly and smashed in to the banister, making it split right through the middle and fall down the level of stairs, smashing to bits below.

"Run, run!" Bart shouted.

"No," Chloe retorted, "I'm not going without you!"

"Oh, how touching," Phillip said dryly.

They both looked up, shocked.

"You bastard!" Bart hollered.

Phillip shrugged, "I've been called worse."

Bart sprang at him, quickly, forgetting to use his speed. Phillip easily caught him and threw him down the next flight of stairs. His body tumbled forward, coming to a painful halt at the banister's edge. He hollered in pain.

Phillip grimaced, as if in pain. "That most hurt." He said.

Bart looked up, almost too tired to move.

"Got her boss." Said Sancho.

Phillip and Bart both turned to see what he was standing, holding Chloe captive. She was desperately struggling. "Bart, are you o.k.?" she asked, straining.

"Let her go." Bart said weakly.

"What?" One man asked, coming closer.

"I said…let her go."

"Or what?"

"Or I'll make you wish you had."  
The people around the room chuckled.

In a quick second, Bart sprang again. Despite the element of speed on Bart's side, Phillip had anticipated this move and was ready. He grabbed the boy around the waist and hurled him in to the wall. Bart bounced off on to the ground, groaning.

"Leave him alone!" Chloe cried, "I'll with you!"

"Foolish, foolish girl." Phillip said.

"Please, I swear. I won't struggle, nothing, just leave him alone."  
"You think it's you I want?" Phillip said, stroking her cheek.

Chloe slapped his hand away, "Don't touch me!"  
"Very well." Phillip stepped back, amused.

"If you want him so much, why did you come after me?"

"As an insurance policy." Phillip stated simply.

"Insurance policy?" They all turned as Bart stood up. Guards rushed to his side to restrain him. Phillip then turned back to Chloe.

"You're not as smart as you're given credit for." Phillip said dryly.

"I'm a hell of a lot smarter than you!" Chloe said. She had been carefully timing this moment, watching the elevator. It was opening to an empty shaft. In one swift motion, she pushed out of the grasp of the guards and dove. She pushed Bart with her. The guards holding him had not been expecting this so she did this easily. The momentum sent them both flying back in to the elevator and before she hit the ground, Chloe reached out and hit the down button on the elevator. The elevator closed and headed down.

"Dammit!" Phillip shouted, "I knew I should have brought my robots! Go after them you fucking imbeciles!" The men ran down the stairs. "Jesus Christ!" Phillip screamed.

* * *

The moment the elevator reached the bottom floor, they were out of the door. Bart could mostly support himself, though he was a little weak. His arm was around Chloe's shoulders and she was supporting his body. They were in the reception area and people turned to look towards the emerging, haggard looking couple. Chloe heard the footsteps of approaching men. One stopped at the bottom of the staircase and pointed directly towards them. 

"Their they are!" He shouted.

The crowd turned towards the man.

Chloe hurried now, urging Bart to go faster.

"I'm trying." He mumbled.

They made their way outside the hotel, in to the road. The men behind them were having trouble wading through the crowd. A taxi suddenly came to a screeching halt in front of Chloe and Bart.

"Get the hell off the road, will you!" the driver, a chubby, yet attractive woman in her forties screamed.

Chloe rushed directly at it and pointed at Bart urgently. "Will you take us please? He's injured."  
"What the hell? This ain't no stop!"  
"Goddamit this is a life and death situation!" Chloe shouted.

"O.k., o.k.," the cabbie said, studying Bart's bleeding, almost lifeless face. She pressed a button and the back door was unlocked. Chloe opened it and pushed Bart inside.

"Thank you." She said. She drew a $20 bill out of her pocket and put it on the cabbie's old, dusty jeans jacket.

"Where to?" the cabbie asked.

Chloe looked up. The men were coming out of the hotel now, looking for them.

"Anywhere!" Chloe said.

The men looked towards her.

"Go!" Chloe said, "Just go!"  
"What!"  
"Get the hell out of here!" Chloe shouted, and ran away.

The taxi screeched it's tires as it zoomed off the street, atleast 30 miles above the speed limit.

"There she is!" A man pointed at the departing girl.

"I know, bozo!" A team member shouted as they ran after her.

Chloe utilized her speed as she ran through the alley. She didn't care much about herself. She only cared about Bart at this moment. She hadn't run often and her heart hammered, making it hard to breathe.

"We'll get you soon enough!" A man hollered.  
Chloe looked back and threw a trash can on the road. It wouldn't help much but there wasn't really much she could do at this moment. Fortunately, the 1st man tripped over the trash can and stumbled in to the concrete, slamming his head on to the concrete and rolling. The others were smarter and just jumped over his body, not acknowledging their fallen comrade.

"Please, please," Chloe whispered to herself, "Let Bart make it."  
A gray sedan screeched to a stop in front of her. She was about to call for help but she saw it was one of the men that had been in the hotel. With all her prowress, she jumped on top of the car's hood and ran over the hood. The men got out of the car and tried to draw their weapons in time but she was already on the run again.

Her chest was burning and she wished she had been more active in gym class. Hell, she wished none of this had ever happened. All except Bart and she would die trying to protect him. She jumped over a bunch of fallen garbage bags and looked back. The guys were gaining on her.

"Hey, babe!" A man shouted from behind.

"Oh, no!" Chloe murmured to herself. He was on a motorcycle and riding after her. He easily caught up, unlike the others. He pointed his pistol, riding along her and smiled.

"It's a nice night to die!" He said, and pulled the trigger. Unluckily, he wasn't much of a marksman, especially on the move. The bullet spit and hit the wall atleast three ft. above her. He raised his pistol and fired again. Chloe had noticed it before, hoping for her sake that he wouldn't. It was a dumpster, atleast 5 ft. tall, right in front of him. At the moment that he pulled the trigger, the motorcycle collided with the dumpster, sending him and the bike flipping and flying in the air. He landed in the dumpster and the motorcycle landed right on him, then bounced out of the dumpster.

Chloe ignored the grisly…almost suicide. She grabbed the still running bike. She had never ridden one, but there wasn't a time like the present. She mounted it and rode it wobbly, barely managing to steer away from the collision course. She was about to turn in the alley, now steadily losing the men.

"Please, please," she whispered, now for herself.

Suddenly, another motorcycle pulled in front of her. The man took of his helmet. He pointed the Magnum straight at her. "Oh, what a shame," he said mockingly.

Precisely at that moment, A gigantic truck slammed in to him. He was sent flying back with the motorcycle. He smashed in to a wall, upside down and fell on top of the damaged motorcycle, dead.

Chloe sighed. She'd been saved from 2 near death experiences.

Phillip and Sancho stepped out of the truck slowly.

"Aah, Ms. Sullivan." Rafferty said.

Chloe turned around to run but the group of assasins that she had eluded were just arriving. There was no way out. But, she had to try and ride out of this. As soon as he saw her foot head for the acceleration, Phillip appeared before her.

"Not this time." He said. He shoved her off and lifted the motorcycle above his head with a determined expression. In one quick move, he crushed it in his hands. He then threw the useless vehincle aside.

Chloe glared at him insolently, "Go ahead, kill me."  
He looked around. "Where is the boy."  
"I don't know." She shrugged.

"Where the hell is he?" he hollered.

"You might as well kill me, you know?" she said calmly.

He lifted her off the ground and grabbed her hair. "I don't have time for you, you little goodamned bitch. Tell me where the hell he is, now!"

"Like I said. You should just kill me."  
He glared for a moment, then smirked. "Your courage would be almost admirable if it wasn't for such a stupid cause."  
Chloe didn't reply.

He pushed her back and she stumbled in to the wall, then fell to the ground, unconscious. They all watched her for a moment, then Phillip snapped his fingers. A man instantly rushed to his aide.

"Bind her." Phillip said simply, and headed away as his men immediately began following his orders.

Sancho followed behind him. "Are we going to kill her?"  
Phillip shook his head. "No, we need bait, something on the boy."

"How are we going to find him?" Sancho asked.

"The same way we found him here." Phillip replied.

"Yes, but we barely found him. The bug is almost out of order, sir."

Phillip shook his head and pointed at Sancho. "I don't give a damn. You find him, or else I'll fucking kill you, do you understand me?"

Sancho swallowed. "Errr, yes, boss."  
With that, Phillip disappeared.

"Asshole." Sancho muttered. And with that, he headed towards the girl. She was now bound around the wrists and ankles. She was conscious now. He bent down and rubbed his head against her breasts.

"You'll pay for that." Chloe said struggling.

Sancho smirked and slapped her. "Take her away." He said.

They dragged the girl away.

Sancho stood now. And in the near future, he would pay. Oh yes, he would pay.

_AUTHORS NOTE: PLEASE REVIEW, HAVEN'T BEEN GETTING THAT MANY REVIEWS LATELY. DON'T WANT TO STOP, SO NEED SUPPORT._


	22. MERGING

**It** was all woozy, so dark here. He couldn't see. His head was spinning. His whole world was spinning. The sun, a window. No, not a window. A glass cup. A television. Food. Being fed. Then inevitably, Chloe.

"Ahhh!" Bart awakened screaming. He breathed hard for a few seconds, then dug his hands in to his blonde, spiky hair. He breathed hard for a moment. "Calm down, dude." He whispered to himself, "Just calm down. O.k., o.k., everything is fine." He stood up. Bart was alarmed. This wasn't the room in the apartment. Where tha hell was he? And where was Chloe.

He was in a small room, sparsely furnished with a chair at a tiny study desk and this twin bed. His back and head were both aching. Uhhh, what happened. Then it all came. Chloe. She had just….left him. Let him go. He cussed at himself. Why the hell had he just let her leave like that. Oh Jesus. She could be anywhere right now. He had to find Chloe!

"Help! Somebody help me!" He banged against the walls.

Suddenly, the door swung open. The cabbie from earlier stepped in. "Stop yer yapping already, would ya? I'm trying to watch the game?"

"Where am I?" He asked.

"At my home." She said, and lit a cigar. Suddenly, they heard the loud wailing of a baby. "Look what you did, idiot, you woke the baby!" She stormed out and Bart followed her, puzzled. Though it did not resemble the apartment he had Chloe had been in, it was no less an apartment. The den was quite large with three leather, comfortable looking sofas and a big screen T.V. with a VCR, but no DVD player. There was no dining room, but a kitchen with a cheap table set and small cupboards with a brand new oven, fridge, and refrigerator.

The woman stormed over to a nearby crib and threw the cigar in a trash can. She pulled up the baby, a chubby, dark skinned baby with no hair. His father was obviously African-American. "Alright there, sweetie, go back to sleep." The woman murmured softly.

Bart swallowed. He touched the side of his head and felt some stitches there. "You sewed me up?" He asked.

"Yeah," she replied, "I been on the streets myself. Didn't know what kind of trouble you was in, why I didn't take you to a hospital."

Bart nodded. "How did I get here?"

"You were unconscious in my taxi. I drove around for a while, looking for the girl, around the hotel and all. But she wasn't around there."  
"So you have no idea where she is?"

"What'd I say?"

"Oh, no." Bart dropped in to a sofa.

"What kinda trouble was you in. Them bastards was shooting at ya."  
Bart shook his head. "Deep than we thought."

The woman looked at him suspiciously and set the now sleeping baby down. "You think she's dead?"  
"I hope not." He said, running his fingers through his hair worriedly.

"What kind of people you dealing with?"  
He looked at her. "Real, real dangerous people."  
She nodded, amused. "Ah, that kind. Been there, done that."  
He looked at her appreciatively. "Thanks for taking me in."

"No problem." She said, "I was in the same situation. I understand."  
"Not like this." He murmured under his breath.

"So the girl, who was she, your wife?"

"Wife?" he asked puzzled. "I'm not even old enough to drive."  
She shrugged and pointed at the baby. "See this chile' here?"  
He nodded. "Yeah."  
She smiled. "His mother'll be graduating to high school in a few weeks."

"Wow." He said.

"Kind of puts a new perspective on things, don't it?" she asked.

He nodded and looked down. He was wearing a change of clothes. "You changed me?" He asked, blushing.

She nodded, smiling.

He swallowed awkwardly. "Uhhh, thanks."  
"No problem here, youngsta."

"I think I'll be going." Bart said, standing.

She waved the thought away. "No, first you got to eat. I know you hungry."  
As if in accord to her words, his stomach growled. "I am a little." He admitted.

She rolled her eyes. "Please, heard the growlin' from here." She pointed to the table set in the kitchen. "Take a seat, youngsta."  
"Thank you." He repeated, taking a seat.

"You're welcome." She said warmly. She opened a pot off the stove and took a bowl from the cupboards. Then, she quickly served him a meal of spaghetti and chicken, with cheddar cheese and garlic bread.

"Oh, that looks so good." Bart almost moaned.

"Eat up, honey." She said.

He set to work on the spaghetti, demolishing it with the delicious tomato sauce and then on the grilled spicy chicken with the melted cheese. Then he went back for a 2nd plate, and then a 3rd. When he was done, he quickly went to the bathroom and showered. Then he came out, refreshed.

"I'm ready to go." Bart said.

"Alright, honey." She replied, smiling.

"How can I ever thank you?" He asked.

"Take care of yourself. And find that girl, wherever she is. Any girl that'll be willing to sacrifice herself for you. Now that's a keeper. What's your name, son?"

"Bart." He replied.

"My name is Wilma. And you can just call me Wilma."  
He nodded. "Thank you, Wilma. I'll never forget this."

She reached out and chucked his chin. "Go on, boy."  
He nodded and went out of the apartment building. He looked around desperately when he reached the street, trying to see if he recognized the directions. He thought he noticed it. He had to get a cab though, he couldn't run. The less time he wasted, the better.

Bart suddenly realized. He had his money in his other clothes. He was about to head upstairs when he felt the bulge in his pockets. He pulled out his money clip. All $50.00 in the clip. Good old Wilma.

Bart stepped out on the street, waving and hailed a cab. He hastily asked directions to the hotel he had been staying in. The taxi took him down a couple of streets until he started to remember some of them. A couple of blocks away, he got out and said the cabbie could go. He walked the rest of the way. The hotel seemed so cold now. It had been so marvelous the 1st day they had been there, so magical, but now, it was….nothing.

He could still see the skid marks from the taxi and he knew there was nothing he could do. He looked around. All he had seen was that Chloe had gone through the alley. Bart looked around to make sure no one watching, then he rapidly checked throughout the area.

Bart super sped and searched through the 3 mile area in less than 7 seconds. Chloe was nowhere around here. He didn't figure she could have gotten away. He stopped back where he had began and walked around at a normal pace, trying to clear his mind. He stopped at a dumpster, leaning against it, his eyes burning with anger. It had all been his fault. If only, if only. They could have been out of there. Now Chloe was gone. And there was nothing he could do about it. He sensed a smell and looked in the dumpster. Inside, was the body of a literally crushed man wearing a broken biker's helmet. Bart almost retched right there. He stumbled back, hands over his eyes, shoulders shaking, tears coming to his eyes. "No, Chloe, not you. Please, not you. Why couldn't it have been me?" He sat against the wall, oblivious to everything around him. Finally, half an hour later, he regained the strenght to stand up. He ran to the nearest payphone and dialed Chloe's number. The 1st three attempts yielded nothing and the phone rang pointlessly. Finally, on the 3rd ring, somebody picked up.

"Hello, Bart." Phillip said.

"You bastard!" Bart hollered, oblivious to everyone staring, "What did you do with her? You sick goddamned bastard!"  
"Why do you think I have her?" Phillip asked.

"You son of a…, don't play these goddamn games with me!"

The phone was silent for a moment. Then suddenly, Chloe's voice sounded, "Bart, Bart, Bart!"  
He almost wept in relief. "Oh, Chloe."  
"Yes, Bart, it's me! They have me, Bart. I'm chained up."

"I'm coming for you, Chloe. I swear it, please! I swear to god, I'm coming after you."  
"Oh, Bart, please!" Chloe sobbed.

The plea tore through his heart. "Where are you?"

She was about to answer when the phone was torn out of her hand. "I don't believe that information will be necessary." Phillip said.

"Where do you have her!" Bart shouted.

"Somewhere where you'll never find us."  
"I swear to you," Bart said, gritting his teeth, "I'll make you pay for this. I swear!"

"Give it your best shot." The tone went dead.

"Dammit!" Bart shouted and slammed the phone in to the booth, breaking the glass. Blood trickled down his fingers but he was oblivious to it. He stormed away. There was only one person he could call now. He just wished it wasn't too late.

* * *

Sleep was not an option. It kept on running through his head. Lex. Lex had something to do with Phillip Rafferty. Clark tossed and turned on the sofa, wondering why he had ever trusted a Luthor. After a while of restless turning, Clark stood up and made his way to the kitchen, where Krypto was sleeping.

He tiptoed, trying not to wake the dog, and poured himself a glass of orange juice. He slipped it lightly, letting it calm him. Lois was snoring loudly upstairs and Clark grunted. The sooner she was gone, the better. He missed his bed.

Suddenly, Clark's cell phone rang. He made his way in to the living room and got it off the coffee table. "Hello?" he said dully, too tired to check Caller ID.

"Clark?"

Clark's eyes snapped open. "Is it you, Bart?"

"Yeah." Bart's voice was croaky and scratchy.

"Is everything o.k.?" Clark asked, concerned.

Bart cleared his throat. "No, Clark." He controlled himself, trying desperately not to panic. "Everything is far from o.k."  
Clark dropped in to a sofa. "What's wrong."

"Clark, they've got Chloe."  
Clark sprang up. "What!" he hollered.

"Hey, farm boy!" Lois shouted from upstairs, in his room, "I'm trying to get some sleep put a sock in it!" He heard her say a few curse words under her breath.

"Sorry!" He shouted back. He hastily went out and made his way to the loft. "Who's got Chloe?" He asked, when he made sure he was far away.

"Rafferty." Bart's voice broke. "That bastard, he…he…he….he took Chloe."  
"Oh my god." Clark brushed back his hair with his fingers.

"Yes, and I don't know where she is."  
Clark sat down and breathed deeply. "O.k., what happened?"

"They…they attacked us at the hotel room."  
"They attacked you at the hotel."  
"I wasn't there. It was only Chloe, but then I arrived and got her."  
"So how did they catch you?"

"We stumbled. We tripped. Oh, god, Clark, it's all my fault."

"No it's not, Bart." Clark said reassuringly, "We'll figure this out."

"Clark, I'm here. Come, please."

"Here? Where?"

"In Smallville." He replied.

"You're in Smallville?" Clark asked incredulously.

"Yeah," Bart answered. "I'm in-''

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Clark interrupted. "1st of all, how'd they get Chloe and not you?"  
"Chloe put me in a taxi."

"Why didn't she get in?" Clark asked.

"Because they were coming. Clark….Clark she risked her life for me. I…I'd probably be dead if it wasn't for her. Oh, god, Clark, it's all my fault."

"Get a hold of yourself!" Clark said.

Bart breathed in deeply. "Alright, alright, I'm o.k."  
Clark nodded. "Good. So where are you exactly in Smallville?"  
"Is the line secure?" Bart asked.

"Yeah, I checked the bugs. Where?"

"Crater's Lake." He replied.

"O.k.," Clark said, "I'll be right down there." He hung up and quickly looked in the loft for any clothes. He dressed in a blue T-Shirt and black jeans and prepared to run. He went out to the field, in a stance.

"Hey, Smallville!" Lois called from upstairs. "What the hell are you doing?"  
"I…I was going out." He replied shakily. "Just…umm..going for a run."  
"At 1:00 in the morning?" She asked incredulously, "And I know you're not exactly in line with technology and all, but haven't you heard of a car?"

He swallowed. Dammit! Now he had to take a car. "Yeah," he lied, "I was just checking the road."

"Whatever!" She snapped and slammed the window shutters shut.

Clark made his way inside, up to his parent's room and got the truck keys. Then he made his way over to the garage. He quickly checked to see if the truck was running. He considered looking inside to see if Lois was watching, but he didn't want to invade her privacy. Besides, this was a sure chance as ever. She had already unwittingly seen him perform his abilites before. He couldn't take the chance now.

He got in the driver's seat and started the ignition, driving away with no knowledge of his future wife crouching in the bed of the truck.

* * *

It took him an hour longer than it would have had he used his alternative mode of transportation to reach Crater Lake. It was dark out here and though it was a full moon, the fact helped little. Clark turned off the truck and got out, being careful not to step on the mud. He looked around.

"Bart!" he called.

"Over here!" said a voice.

Clark headed towards it, unwittingly being followed. He walked deeper in to the woods until he heard someone whisper his name. Clark turned to see Bart, standing by the edge of the lake. "Hey, Clark." He said dryly.

"Hey, Bart." Clark replied, noting his friend did not look very good at all. His eyes were bloodshot and his skin looked unhealthy, he had obviously been worrying all day. Bart silently tossed a stone in to the lake and watched it skip across the water.

"I can't believe they took her."

"I know," Clark said, "I wish I had been there."

"Don't blame yourself," Bart said, "It's my fault. If it wasn't for me, Chloe wouldn't have disappeared like that." As soon as he said that, Lois sprang out of the shadows, instantly tackling him to the ground.

"You let them take my cousin!" She shouted, clawing at his face. "You little shi-''

Clark grabbed her and dragged her off him. "Lois!"  
"Let go of me!" She screamed and swung at him. Clark caught her fist. Bart stood up slowly, brushing dirt off his clothes.

"What's wrong with you?" He demanded.

"Why, I thought that was obvious." She said. "You let them take my baby cousin!" She sprang at him but Clark caught her and dragged her away, kicking and screaming.

"Did you follow me!" Clark asked angrily.

"Don't even go there!" She hollered. "My baby cousin is in trouble and you can only worry about yourself?"  
"I didn't just let them take her." Bart shouted angrily.

Lois seemed to calm down. "O.k., I'm sorry. Who took her."  
"Phillip Rafferty."

"That bastard! When I get my hands on him…."  
"So what are we going to do?" Clark asked.

"I thought that would be simple." Lois said, standing up, "We're going to save her."

"But how?" Clark asked.

"I don't know."  
"What about the police?" Clark looked at both of them.

Bart shook his head. "Rafferty has too many connections there."  
"So we go after him." Lois said, "with everything we've got."  
"What do you mean?" Clark asked.

"I have some connections," Lois said, "Some connections with the underworld. Crime, stuff like that. I'll try to find her."  
"I think I might find a way," Bart said, "I have low friends in high places."

"We go after this guy with everything we got." Lois said, slapping her fist in to her palm. "I don't care. We do anything with whatever means possible. Deal?"

Bart nodded. "I'm with that."

"We find Chloe," Clark said.

"I'll find her if it's the last thing I do." Bart said.

"Where do we start?" Clark asked.

"I thought that would be simple." Lois said.

"What?"

"We go in to the underground."


	23. PURSUANCE

**They** all slept at Clark's house that night, Bart in the guest room, Lois in Clark's room, and Clark in the living room. None of them slept very much, all kept awake with worry about Chloe, but the most guilt ridden of course, was Bart.

From downstairs, Clark had to cover his ears because he could hear the boy murmuring in his sleep. Sometimes he wished his hearing wasn't so acute. In the morning, they immediately set to work, dressing up. At about 8:30 a.m., they silently loaded themselves in Lois's SUV.

Clark sat in the passenger seat and Bart sat in the back, head against the back seat, eyes glassy and he was sniffing, obviously having sobbed most of the night. Clark felt sorry for him but he knew there was nothing he could do. Lois drove slowly along the road, her long hair slightly disheveled but still curly.

All Clark could think about was Chloe, desperately wishing she was here. How he missed her. The drive took them out of Smallville and to Metropolis. It was a long silent drive, accompanied only by songs on a smooth Jazz station. No one stopped for a bathroom or food break. They were way too worried for that.

6 ½ hours after they left Smallville, they arrived in the bustling city of Metropolis. "Here we are." Lois said pointlessly, fidgeting with her fingers.

Bart grunted.

Lois drove through the streets, past the Daily Planet. Clark stared at it, wishing Chloe could be in there right now. How he missed her. Bart's hands were trembling and Clark could hear his heart beating.

20 minutes after they arrived, Lois pulled in to a small grocery store compound.

"What are we doing here?" Clark asked.

"I have some contacts here." She replied.

"In a grocery store?" Bart asked incredulously.

"Do you have any better ideas, super hero?" Lois asked with attitude.

Bart shook his head, "Sorry."

"It's o.k., Bart." Lois said, "Everybody's been on the edge lately."  
"Should we come with you?" Clark asked.

"Nah," she said, "You two can stay in here." She slammed the door and entered the grocery store.

"Clark-''Bart started.

"Already on it." Clark said, and in an instant, he was listening.

* * *

She hadn't been here in a while, not in 7 months, and the last time had been to buy drugs. The man heading the counter was five ft. 2 inches with a huge gut and a shaved head.

"Hi." Lois said.

"What do you want?" He asked.

"I want to see big Eddie." She said.

"Big Eddie?" He asked.

"Yeah, big Eddie." She replied sourly.

"There is no big Eddie."  
"Don't play these games with me." She said, eyes blazing.

"What games, there is no big Eddie."

"Now is not the time to screw around."  
"There is no big Eddie!"  
She grabbed him by the collar. "Where's Eddie?" She asked, gritting her teeth.

"Ah," he said softly, "Now you're talking."  
"Tell me."

"O.k." He held out his hand and snapped his fingers.

She rolled her eyes and reached in to her pockets, drawing out $50.00 in change and slapping it in to his hand.

"Ahhh," he said scratching his head, "Now I remember a big Eddie. Come with me, won't you?"

He went to the back of the store where there was a candy shelf. He made sure no one was looking, then he opened it. "Go in, quickly." He said.

She nodded and went in. He closed the shelf behind her. She was in a familiar long, dark hallway. She walked down to the end of the wall, where there was one door. She knocked on it. "Who is it?" A voice shouted from inside.

"It's Lois!" She yelled back.

"Lane?" He asked.

"The one and only."  
A few seconds later, the door opened. 'Big Eddie' was by no means an exaggeration. He was 6ft. 8 inches with long, slicked back blonde dyed hair. His beard was long and greasy and his moustache reached past his lip. He wore bright red contacts. He weighed no less than 355 pounds and was 69 pounds over obese. He sat on the sofa, smoking.

The man who had opened the door was about 5 ft. 11 inches with a long, thick mane of reddish hair and a muscular body with bulging biceps.

"Hey, Lo!" Eddie said happily.

"Hey, Eddie." She said.

"Want a joint?" He asked, offering his cigar.

She waved it away. "Trying to quit."

"Why would my gal want to do a fool thing like that?"  
"It kills, Eddie."

"So do guns, but I have 143, and that's only the automatics."  
"Yeah, Eddie, I'm sure you do."

He noticed her sad, downcast face. "You o.k., baby doll?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Can I get you something to drink?"  
She shook her head. "No thanks."  
"You sure? It'll help calm you down."

She waved the thought away. "I'll be fine."  
He shifted his fat body in the sofa. "What's wrong?"  
She sat down. "I'm trying to find out about somebody."  
"What do you mean?"

"Someone in the underground, real dirty, illegal stuff."  
"So you came to me?"  
"Well, obviously I'm here."  
He nodded proudly. "Yeah, I own these streets."  
Lois forced a smile to her face. "How much do you want, Eddie?"  
He shrugged his fat covered shoulders. "Depends on who it is."

"It has to do with the Luthors."  
The smile was erased from his face. "I don't deal with the Luthors, Lo. I know that, you know that."  
She stood up objectively, "Please, Eddie."

He waved it away. "Nah, man, the fucking gangs know not to mess with the Luthors."  
"We go back along way." Lois said.

"Exactly," he replied, "And while I'm still alive, I can think about how far we go back."

"Anything you want, I'll pay."

"No, Lo. Anything else. But not the Luthors."

"C'mon, Eddie." She pouted.

"That's it, Lo. I'm sorry."

She sighed and nodded. "O.k., something else?"

This brought on another smile. "Sure."

"How about, a guy. His name is Phillip Rafferty."

"Rafferty?" There was a moment of silence. "Nah, never heard of him."  
She didn't believe him. "Goddamit, Eddie, please, this is really, really important. I need your help, man. My cousin's life is on the line."  
He waved her away. "C'mon, Lo! Would I be lying to you?"

"Eddie, this is really important. Please!"  
"Alright, that's it, get out. I'm sorry, but you gots to go."

"No, I won't!" She screamed, "Tell me!"

"I don't know about no Phillip Rafferty!"

* * *

"And?" Bart asked. They sat tensely inside the car.

Clark listened carefully to Eddie's heart beat then turned back to his friend. "Eddie's lying." Clark replied.

Bart ground his fists in to his palm. "Well, not for long."

* * *

"You've got to help me!" Lois pleaded frantically.

Eddie motioned to the guard. "Take her away!" he said.

"No!" Lois screamed as the guard came after her. "Leave me alone."

The guard grabbed her arm. She hit his hand off her bicep and swung, punching him in the mouth. He stumbled back, lip bleeding. "You little…" he yelled, running back at her. He swung, but she ducked and kicked him in the gut.

Then she grabbed him in a headlock. "Touch me again," she murmured coolly, "And I'll break your neck." She upper cutted him in the jaw, almost breaking it, and punched him in the face again. He stumbled back, choking on his now broken teeth.

"Ahhh!" He yelled, running at her again.

She turned and roundhouse kicked him. He fell to the floor, bleeding in his nose from the blow. "Never touch a woman again!" She spat out. She turned to Eddie and grabbed the drink of water on the table. She threw it straight on him. "I'll remember this, Eddie!" She said hotly. With that, she stormed out. She burst out of the candy shelf, not even bothering to close it despite the objection of the clerk and stormed out of the store.

She went up to the SUV. "I didn't get anything." She began. But there was no one there. "Clark? Bart?" Where could they be?

* * *

As soon as she was out of the store, Clark and Bart were in, storming up to the clerk. "Where's big Eddie?" Bart asked.

The man held out his hand. Clark grabbed it and applied slight pressure, well, slight for him. The man's eyes grew bigger and his breathing became rapid. "He's past the bookcase. Leave me alone, please. He's past the bookcase, I swear to god!" Clark let him go an the man instantly raced out of the stores.

Bart shook his head and went to the bookcase. After a few seconds, they finally figured out how to open it. It slid open gently to reveal the dark hallway. Bart led the way down it and they saw the door up ahead. They burst in.

"Who the hell are you?" Eddie shouted.

Clark glanced at the bruised bodyguard. "Get out of here." He said.

The man didn't need to be told twice. He hastily abandoned his master without a thought.

"Who are you?" Eddie shouted again.

"Shut up!" Bart said coolly.

"I said who are you?"  
"I said shut up!" Bart appeared in front of him and grabbed the man's throat squeezing. "Shut up!" Eddie was wheezing, desperately trying to breathe.

"Bart!" Clark reprimanded and dragged his friend away. "He won't be able to help us if he's dead, you know?"

Bart nodded and straightened his clothes. "Yeah."  
"What do you want?" Eddie asked, frightened.

"We know you're lying." Clark said.

"Lying about what?"  
"Lying about what you told Lois."  
"Told who?"  
"Don't play games with us!" Bart shouted.

"Alright, alright. Was she wearing a wire?" Eddie asked.

"Don't worry about it." Clark said, "Now tell us the truth."  
"About the Luthors? Oh, I don't know about the Luthors."  
"About the Phillip Rafferty guy!" Bart snapped, frustrated.

"O.k., o.k!" Eddie said, leaning back in his chair, "but I don't know much."  
"Just tell us what you know."  
Eddie tried to straighten his clothes. "This guy is in to big business."  
"Big business?" Clark asked.

"Yeah," Eddie nodded, "Big business."  
"What kind?" Bart asked.

"Underground. He's making super soldiers."  
"You mean like robots?" Bart asked.

"Yeah, robots."  
"How does he make them?" Clark asked.

"It's not that complicated." Phillip answered. "If you have enough money, it's a breeze getting by."

"How do you know about it?"

Eddieshrugged. "I know about everything."  
"What does he use the robots for?"

"I dunno, but something to do with the supernatural."  
"Supernatural?" Bart asked

"Yeah."

"What do you mean?" Clark asked.

"You know about the meteor shower, the thing that happened in that little town. Ville, something ville."

Bart and Clark shared a knowing look and both said, "Smallville."

"Yeah, that one. I think they…you know, capture them."  
"Capture them?" Bart asked.

"Yeah," Phillip answered, "Take them hostage."  
"But why?" Clark asked.

"Something to do with DNA. They take them and they try to get their blood, stuff like that and all. They basically steal their abilities. Me, I don't believe in the supernatural. It's all a busload of shit to me. Nothing's real."  
Clark nodded. "But why does he need the robots?"  
Eddie shrugged. "Don't ask me."

"That's all you know?" Bart asked.

Eddie nodded. "That's all I know."

"You better not be lying." Clark warned.

"I swear on my mother's grave." Eddie said.

"Do you know any locations?" Clark asked, listening to the man's heart beat.

Eddie shook his head, "No."

"You're lying!" Clark yelled. He grabbed Eddie by the collar and lifted the humongous man easily, slamming him against the wall. "Tell me the truth."  
"I don't know any!" He hollered.

"Bart, lock the doors." Clark said coolly.

Bart made his way.

"No! no!" Eddie shouted. "Maybe I do know something."  
Bart stopped. "Oh yeah? What?"

"There is a place. A long while away from here. Orion city."

"Orion city?" Clark questioned.

"I know where that is." Bart said.

Clark turned. "Where?"

"Someplace in Canada." Bart replied. "I've been there. Smallville's so much bigger than the place. Tiny."  
Clark turned back to Eddie. "Where exactly in Orion City."  
"Slampers Woods." He said.

"Slampers Woods?" Clark questioned and turned back to Bart.

"I've heard of it." Bart confirmed.

"Alright." Clark said. He clapped Eddie softly on the forehead and the obese man fell to the floor, unconscious. "Let's go."

**

* * *

**

**Orion City, CANADA**

They were in Canada in less than 10 minutes. It took Bart a little longer to remember the direction of Orion City, but they reached there. There, they asked multiple people where Slander Woods was. After an hour and a half of asking, one kindly man told them he was headed in that direction, 30 miles away. He showed them the exact direction. He put the map back and was about to offer them a ride, but by the time he turned, they were gone.

**

* * *

**

**SLAMPERS WOODS**

"So this is it." Bart said, looking around.

There was nothing there so far. The trees were dense with the fog and all, and it was getting late. "I don't think he lied." Clark said.

"Why not?" Bart asked.

"Because I studied his heart beat." Clark said, agitated.

"Let's go." Bart said, "Big Eddie is going to be a lot bigger by the time I finish with him."

"Wait," Clark said, grabbing his shoulder. He focused deeply.

Clark's Super Hearing was activated and the frequency stretched throughout the woods. He heard crickets chirping, a nearby stream, and the sounds of nearby animals. He focused harder and he began to hear human voices. Soft voices moaning, whispers, sounds of torture. There was something around here. He focused and he heard the sounds of a city 30 miles away, so he focused only on the surrounding woods. He closed his eyes to block out the distant city's sounds.

"You hear something?" Bart asked.

Clark nodded, not breaking in to a lapse of concentration. Clark walked towards the sound. They walked through the forest about 300 yards before Clark finally stopped. "There!" He muttered, pointing towards the ground.

"There's nothing there!" Bart said.

"I hear it."  
"There's nothing-''

"Shut up, Bart." Clark said.

Bart shrugged. "O.k. Do your thing."  
Clark opened his eyes and focused.

Clark's X-Ray vision scanned through the ground, going down, down through pipes, until he saw an underground structure. He scanned through that. It was some kind of laboratory. He saw scientists walking around, holding keyboards. And he saw many computers. Clark turned his head slightly, still scanning, and moved in to another area. Inside, he saw, there were cells. He scanned inside the cells. He was sickened. There were people there! They were locked up inside the cells. He scanned for an entrance and found one right under him.

Clark turned to Bart. "It's underground." He said.

Bart nodded. "Is there an entrance?"

"Right under me." Clark bent down and slammed his fist in to the ground. The ground shook with the impact. Clark felt around and finally found a handle. It was the handle of a steel door that opened upwards.

Clark easily tore the steel door off it's hinges and threw it away. He dropped in to the entrance with Bart behind him. It was an air conditioned, empty room with a valve like appearance.

"We're here." Bart whispered gladly.

Suddenly, the door of the room opened and a guard walked in, holding a rifle. He didn't know they were there and was shocked when he saw them. "What the-?"

But Bart was already behind him and he hit him in the head, knocking him unconscious.

"Good job." Clark said.

Bart nodded. "Let's go."  
They went through the entrance.

"There are some cells here." Clark said, "We've got to free the people."  
Bart nodded. "Right behind you."  
Clark walked towards the direction of the cells. "There!" He whispered. At the entrance to the cell block, there was a guard. He turned up to look at them.

"What?" He asked. He picked up his gun and fired. Clark reached out and caught the bullet, then he grabbed the guard and threw him against the wall, knocking him unconscious. Clark then pulled the switch at the edge of the table and all the cell doors slid open. Suddenly, an alarm started the beep. The prisoners ran out of their cells, crying out in surprise.

"Over here!" Bart called.

"Come over here!" Clark repeated after him.

The prisoners rushed towards him. "What are you doing?" One asked.

"How'd you get in here?" Another asked.

"Who are you?"  
"What are you doing here?"  
"How'd you find out about us?"  
"You could be killed!"  
"Get us out of here!"  
"Please, have pity on us!"

"C'mon, let's go!"  
"Quiet!" Clark snapped. The thundering of guards coming down the stairs sounded. They ran down, holding on to rifles. Clark and Bart closed the door on the people, though they were desperately pounding the doors.

"What are you doing?" The head of the guards shouted. The guards opened fire on them. Bart zipped out of the way and the bullets bounced off Clark's chest harmlessly. "What the hell?" The head shouted. Clark zipped at him and smashed him in the chest, sending him up flying so that he hit his head on the roof and fell back down, unconscious.

A soldier swung at Bart. Bart ducked and hammered him in the mouth then kicked him in the chest so he stumbled back. A soldier swung at Clark. Clark easily caught his fist and cracked it, then punched him so he flew back.

Bart kicked a soldier in the gut and smashed him in the face so that he tripped. He then zipped at another soldier and speared him in to the wall, then repeatedly hit him in the chest. The soldier fell to the ground, unconscious.

Clark zipped over to a couple of soldiers and smashed their head together so they fell to the ground, unconscious. The guards were all down. Bart now opened the door and the prisoners stormed out.

"Hey, what was the big idea?"  
"Why'd you lock us up?"

"Be quiet!" Bart yelled.

The prisoners quieted down.

"Now," Clark said, "I need you to take the guards to the police station."  
"Why can't we leave them here?"  
"They could die." Clark said.

"That ain't gonna bother me."

"Please, we helped you!" Bart said, "Just do this one thing."  
"Alright," some grumbled.

A woman tapped Bart on the shoulder, "How the hell did you take down all these guards?"

"Luck," he replied, "Now go!" The prisoners lifted the guards and prepared to drag them out. Some kicked at them spit on them. The guards were now helpless.

"Where's the entrance?" One lady asked.

"Here, I'll show you." Bart said, and led them all outside to the entrance. Clark and Bart helped them get out. During this, the door swung open. A scientist stood there.

"What are you doing here?" He shouted.

Bart swung and hit him in the face. The man stumbled. One of the prisoners kicked him and he fell to the floor, unconscious.

"Take him!" Clark said.

The prisoners nodded. "Sure."

"Thank you!" An old man said.

"Yes, thank you!" They chanted.

Clark and Bart nodded. "No problem."

"We'll need a few of you." Clark said.

"For what?" A tall, muscular black man asked.

Clark put a hand on his shoulders. "For the scientists."

"Ah, I'll be ready for them." The man smiled, rubbing his fists against his palm. "I'll be ready for those bastards." A few more volunteered.

The prisoners led the way to the lab. Clark knocked on the door lightly. A weary scientist opened it, expecting the guards. One of the prisoners punched him in the face and the whole group stalked in. The scientists turned from their work and screamed. They were all captured in less than 30 seconds and in 40 seconds, Clark and Bart were the only ones in the lab.

They searched it for any possible clue, but yielded none.

"Let's go." Bart said sadly.

As they were about to make their way out, the large computer in the center was turned on and a voice said, "Well, if it isn't the Terrific two."  
Bart turned around, "Rafferty!"

"The one and only!" Rafferty smiled.

"Let her go!" Bart hollered, "You want me! I'll come to you."  
"That will make it much to easy for you." Rafferty said.

"Just let her go!" Clark hollered.

Rafferty chuckled. "Ahhh, you have to find me first. I never underestimate people, I knew you'd find this place."  
"If you hurt her in anyway, I'll kill you!" Bart screamed.

"What do you need her for?" Clark hollered.

Phillip's eyes turned cold for a moment. "Revenge."

"What!" Bart yelled.

Suddenly, the screen went blank. Clark was angered. Suddenly, the lab screeched. SELF DESTRUCT MODE it beeped. A gigantic console on the side of the wall started to beep and it started at 30 seconds. It beeped steadily. The console was huge, twice the size of a super computer and about the size of a warehouse.

"Let's go!" Bart yelled.

"Go on!" Clark hollered.

"What?"

"Go on!" Clark yelled, "I won't be hurt."  
Bart shrugged and zipped out.

The bomb was now at 18. Clark focused on the consoles and his eyes turned a fiery red.

Clark's Heat Vision spewed fire, blasting out of his eyes and directly in to the gigantic console. The heat ray burned right through the structure, melting it with such a high degree of heat that it became liquid and dripped easily to the floor. The wall behind the console erupted in flames. Clark shot a quick ray at the wires holding up the console and it fell to the ground, covered in fire. Clark grabbed one of the wires inside the consoles and tore it completely out then continued to focus. The fire burnt the console's insides in to ash. Clark continued to focus, now using so much power that the liquid quickly evaporated in to steam. Clark then looked around the lab. Clark focused again. Clark's Heat Vision blasted around the lab, starting fires and melting the equipment. Clark could think of nothing better than destroying this room. The heat rays exploded the computers and walls until the whole room was burning with fire. Clark walked along the hallway, shooting beams and burning everything. He went in to the cell room and blasted the whole place on fire. He saw a couple of gas tanks. Clark shot a few rays on to them and they became hot and exploded. In a split second, he was gone. As Clark super sped out, he sent quick bursts of heat rays at the entrance so it quickly melted down and shut down any possible methods of entry. By the time the gas tanks exploded, Clark was over 100 yards away from the laboratory, having escaped the scene easily. The prisoners had already made their escape and Bart and Clark watched the huge explosion from a distance.

When the debris had finished raining all over the forest, Bart turned to Clark.

"I thought she would be in here." He admitted.

"So did I." Clark said.

They stood in silence for a moment.

Then Clark said, "Is everyone alright?"

Bart nodded, "Yeah, they're fine."

Clark sighed. "Atleast some good came out of this."

Bart clapped his back. "We'll find her."

"What about Lois?"

"Well, we're going to have to make up an excuse."

"She's going to be furious."

"It's better than nothing."

"I hope so."

"Don't worry, Clark. We'll find Chloe."

Clark sighed. "I sure hope so."

Bart shook his head, "What happens now? What does this mean?"

Clark looked at him, eyes blazing, "This means war!"


	24. CAPTIVE

**Chloe **breathed in, trying desperately to calm herself. Though she was no clausterphobic, the room was small, really small and smelled….disgusting. Though she had been in countless situations like this before, never had it been in these particular circumstances.

"Figures," she murmured, rubbing her bare wrists. Earlier, she had been shackled, but when it had become obvious to the men she was no threat, they had simply left her alone. She cleared her throat and coughed, then turned towards the scarce remaints of the food on the plate.

"Great," she muttered, "Frog legs and pickled cucumbers sure put a hole in it." She almost vomited. She didn't really want to eat, normally she wouldn't. But she knew of countless circumstances where the victims starved or something like that, and when an opportunity came, they were too weak to go. Not her though, oh no, when the opportunity came, she'd be out of there.

"Ahhh, Ms. Sullivan."

She turned to the tall, graceful figure coming towards her.

"Who the hell are you?" She snapped.

"My name is Kristena." A female voice sounded. Chloe studied her. She was beautiful and slender, with long jet black hair. Her face was small, yet full, with gorgeous hazel colored eyes and full red lips.

"I don't care who you are!" Chloe snapped, "Let me out of here!"

"Shhh," said the woman, placing a long slender finger on the lips. She now came in to full view. She was wearing a red parka and underneath it, a small T-Shirt that hugged her upper figure. Her khaki pants were carefully creased and her brown boots had obviously been recently washed.

"Don't tell me to shut up!" Chloe shouted, "Just let me out!"

"Darling, you know it won't be that easy." Kristena said.

"Don't call me darling. Don't ever call me darling, you damn criminal."  
"I'm no criminal." Kristena said lightly.

"Oh, yeah, what are you doing now?"  
"Simply…using you for less than legal purposes."  
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Sure…if that makes you feel better."  
"You have quite a mouth." Kristena observed.

"Comes with the job."

Kristena smiled and nodded. She looked down at the food, "Nasty, isn't it?"

"I can stand it." Chloe studied her suspiciously.

"It's o.k., darling, those bastards can't cook for anything."  
"As hard as it is to believe, my primary concern right now isn't the quality of the food."

"You know, a sharp tongue won't help you here."

"Well, neither will you so what's the point of this conversation?"

"I do want to help you, Chloe."  
"Of course you do," Chloe replied sarcastically.

"I'm trying to be patient with you."  
"Do both of us a favor and get away from me."  
Kristena shook her head and sat down across from Chloe. "You don't want that."  
"Why not?"

"I'm here to help."

"You're sure doing a great job."  
"I need your cooperation."

"You're not getting it."

"Why are you so stubborn?"  
"You be kidnapped and we'll talk about hospitability."  
"You're a tough one." Hilda smiled.

"You can do anything you want to me. I'm not saying anything."  
"You don't want to do this, please, don't do this to yourself."  
"How dare you tell me what I don't want to do."

"I don't want you to die."

"Then help me. Just help me out of here. Please."

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

Chloe became angry. "Then get out of here. Go, just get the hell out of here!"

Kristena cupped Chloe's chin in her hand and said, "Don't be so angry with me. I'm only trying to help."  
Chloe lost it now. She hit Kristena in the wrist, knocking the hand away, then spat in to the woman's face. Kristena fell back, her eyes dripping with saliva. She wiped at it frantically. Her expression turned first to surprise, then disgust, then anger. Chloe hastily stood up and dove at her. She clawed desperately at the older woman. Her nail dug in to Kristena's cheek, drawing blood.

"Mansa!" Kristena shouted.

"Coming!" A loud voice boomed.

An Asian man ran in to the room. He was of a light complexion, bald, and very tall, with small dark eyes, and a muscular, athletic body. He wore a skin tight shirt and military pants with military boots. "Awww!" He shouted. He grabbed Chloe and threw her off Kristena. Chloe flew back and hit the wall, falling to the floor with a thud. She groaned.

"Where were you!" Kristena hollered, wiping blood off her cheeks.

"You told me to wait outside, mistress." Mansa pleaded.

She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them. "Very well, I'm sorry, Mansa."  
"No problem, mistress." He pointed to Chloe, "Do I take care of her?"  
Chloe shakily stood up, "Bring it on." She said defiantly.

"With pleasure." Mansa said, starting towards her.

Kristena held out her hand, stopping him. "No, Mansa."

"She disrespected you, mistress." Mansa argued.

"I said no!" Kristena snapped.

Mansa sighed and nodded. "Whatever pleases you, mistress."

"You're so pitiful." Chloe said snidely.

"And you would be dead right now if I hadn't stopped him." Kristena said coolly.

"Kill me if you want," Chloe said nonchalantly.

"You don't want that." Kristena strode up to the girl.

"You're in no position to tell me what I want." Chloe replied.

"Few people don't fear death. You're not one of them."  
"Wanna bet?"  
"You shouldn't have done that." Kristena said, wiping blood off her cheek.

"I'm glad I did it." Chloe replied.

"Why are you so damned stubborn?"  
Chloe didn't answer.

"Answer her when she talks." Mansa snapped.

"You can go to hell." Chloe shouted, pointing at him.

"You little-''

"Mansa!" Kristena shouted.

Mansa nodded and sighed. "Very well, mistress."  
"Very well, mistress." Chloe mimicked him.

Mansa ground his teeth.

"You'll regret that." Kristena said softly.

"I won't regret anything."  
"Oh yes you will. Let's go Mansa."

The two figures headed for the exit and locked the door behind them. Chloe swallowed, now very frightened.

* * *

To say Lois Lane was pissed was purely an understatement. Her long hair was frazzled and in a mess. Her face was red with anger and frustration. Her clothes were dishevelled and she sat in her SUV, cursing under her breath.

"Dammit, Clark, where are you?" She muttered.

She pulled her car in to the driveway of the Sullivan house and got out. She had been trying to call Clark but to no avail. Wait until she got her hands on him. Though she hated her self for it, she stopped at a local store and bought a pack of CAMEL cigarettes and a lighter. She toyed with it as she drove, then lit it at a red light, drumming her fingers against the steering wheel.

"C'mon little cuz," she whispered to herself, "You can make it through this."

She drove down the street and pulled in to the parking area of the Talon. A red Lamborghini had just caught her eye. She dropped the cigar to the floor and stomped on it, then made her way inside the compound. The Talon had been hastily rebuilded and was now easily 4 times the size that it had been before. It had been repainted, and though it wasn't finished, it was a sight to behold.

Construction workers walked around the area, smoking, drinking, talking, anything but work. They were obviously on some kind of break. Lois ignored the catcalls and made her way to the entrance. An thin Asian man sat in the doorway. He was 5 ft. 11 inches and 189 pounds. His hair was long, greasy and blonde with streaks of red. His right ear was pierced with a ring. He wore glasses and his face was thin, his skin pale and his nose too big for his face.

"Move please." Lois said, crossing her arms.

"Hey sweet thang." He said, biting his bottom lip in a seductive manner.

"Get out of my face!" Lois snapped.

'Oohs' reasounded around the compound.

The man swallowed and tried to regain his pride. "Screw you."  
"Whatever." She said, shoving past him and sticking out her leg as he stumbled back. He flipped backwards over her outstretched leg and fell on his head, rolling back in a clearly uncomfortable position. The workers erupted in to fits of laughter.

"Oh!" He yelled out in a combination of surprise and pain.

"Awww," Lois said mockingly, "Is the little man hurt?"

He swallowed and sat up. "Go to hell!"  
She winked mockingly and entered the Talon.

"You sure have a way of making men feel good about themselves, Ms. Lane." Lex said, sipping calmly on a plastic cup of hot coffee."  
"Let's not go there today!" Lois yelled.

Lex shrugged. "So, what have I done to make you resent me today, Lois?"  
"Ms. Lane, Luthor," She said, pointing at him, "And don't you forget it!"

"Oh, yes, we're back on these social terms."

"Don't play these games with me!" She shouted.

"What have I ever done to deserve No more like dislike."  
"Contempt? Let's not sugar coat things, Luthor. Dislike? Even contempt wouldn't cover the feelings I have for you."

"Ahh, a step forward. Now you actually have feelings for me."

"You son of a-'' Lois started but was interrupted.

"Are there any problems here?" It was a short, buff man, no older than 30 with short cropped brown hair and a squarely angled face.

"No, Jarvis." Lex said, never taking his eyes off Lois.

"But, Mr. Luthor-''

"They're no problems here."

"But Mr. Luth-''

Lex turned around angrily. "Go back to work immediately or I'll make sure you never get a job in Smallville again, do you understand me?"  
Jarvis stood for a moment, shocked.

"Do we understand each other?" Lex asked again.

Jarvis nodded. "Yes, sir, Mr. Luthor, I apologize." And with that, he stalked out.

"That was kind of harsh, wasn't it?" Lois asked.

Lex sat quietly for a moment then smiled and said, "An irony, isn't it? You saying that?"

Lois was silent for a moment, then said, "Whatever."

"Besides," Lex said, leaning back, "I have just saved some very important parts of his anatomy, considering what you did to my security guards the other day."

Lois grimaced. "That bad, huh?"  
He nodded. "Yes. That bad."

Lois sighed and sat on a nearby stool. "Are they going to sue?"

"They already have."

"Why didn't I hear about this?" Lois asked.

"Because I handled it."

"I don't need your money, Luthor."

"You know, you can call me Lex. What is it, because of my family's empire?"

"No," she said simply, "I just don't like you."

"You could start by saying thank you, you know."

"I didn't ask you to settle my debts. I learned at a young age that you pay for your own mistakes."  
Lex smiled, "We shared the same kind of childhood then."

"The same? You're a Luthor, some poor, unfortunate bastard probably wipes your ass for you."

"Must we be so vulgar?"

Lois shook her head, "Damn you."

Lex stood, "Very well, now that greetings are aside, what did you storm in here for."  
"My cousin."

"Yes, Chloe."

"Where the hell is she?"

"How am I supposed to know?" He asked puzzled.

"Don't play these games with me." She said firmly.

"I'm not playing any games with you. I don't know anything."

"Yes you do! You had something to do with this."  
"Why? Because I'm a Luthor."  
"Well…yes," She conceded and he snorted. "And also because you had some thing to do with Phillip Rafferty."  
"Oh, forgive me." He said sarcastically, "I must have missed the newscast that declared it a crime."  
"He did something."

"What?"

"He kid-'' It was at that particular moment that her phone rang. She was about to turn it off when she saw it was Clark. She made a face at Luthor and stormed out. "Smallville, where the hell have you been?" She shouted in to her cell phone.

Clark grimaced. "Umm, around."  
"I've been worried sick. I couldn't do anything without you. You know how worried I was?"

"We found something, Lois," He said, "But we need to spend more time here."

"What?" She hollered, "Get your ass back to Smallville right now or I'll-''  
"Bye, Lois." Clark said, rolling his eyes.

"If you hang up on me, I'll- ''

Clark hung up and put his phone in his jeans pocket.

"You ready?" Bart asked.

"Let's go." Clark said, and they made their way across the street to Big Eddie.

* * *

It was Bart who smelled it first. Big Eddie was slumped back against the wall. His eyes were completely white and his throat was slit. Dried blood stained his shirt and his lips were swollen and purple. There was a giant, bloody slash mark across his humongous stomach and flesh hung over his waist.

Bart sighed. "I guess this lead is gone."

Clark stood still for a moment, then he covered his eyes. "Oh, no."

Bart was silent.

"It was our fault!" Clark said guiltily. They were silent for a few moments. Bart walked over to Eddie and closed his eyelids.

"Let's go." Bart said, heading out.

"Bart," Clark said grabbing his arm, "This game just got a whole lot more serious."  
Bart nodded and swallowed. "Where do we go from here?"

"I don't know."

"I do." A voice said.

Clark turned and looked. It was a middle aged woman with a slender figure and long, red hair. Clark was surprised he hadn't heard her.

"Who are you?" Bart asked as she made her way down the last of the steps.

"Donna Rafferty, Phillip's wife."

* * *

**_AUTHORS NOTE: WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THIS? PLEASE TELL ME._**


	25. VULNERABILITY

**The** silence in the kitchen was deafening. Donna sat on the stool, nervously sipping a cup of black coffee and eating a slice of burnt toast lathered with jam. Her hair was carefully tied back in a bun and she was dressed in an NFL Kansas City Chiefs T-Shirt and an old pair of worn blue jeans. She was barefoot and calmly swung her legs.

Clark stood a few ft. away wearing a sweater and sipping on some orange juice. He was looking downwards holding the glass down at his waistline, not saying a word. His long, lean legs were crossed in this standing position.

Bart sat at the head of the table. His head was resting against his fist and he was leaning on his elbow, chewing on his finger nails. He gazed out of the window, once in a while licking his dry lips.

Lois sat across from Donna, leaning forward intently with her arms crossed. There was a nearly full glass of water in front of her and a plate of abandoned fried rice and shrimp. She was obviously the most nervous of the four.

"So, you're Phillip Rafferty's wife?" She asked again.

"No, actually, we're divorced."

"Not hard to figure out why." Bart said sarcastically.

"Phillip was a good man."

"Then what would make him do this?" Clark asked, setting his glass down.

"You know him."

"What are you talking about?" Lois asked.

"Mr. Lionel Luthor." Donna drawled with her southern accent.

"I knew he had something to do with this." Clark said.

"Why did Lionel come to him?" Bart asked.

"Before he met Lionel, Phillip was going places."

"He was going to be successful." Lois said.

"Successful?" Donna said sarcastically, "That's an understatement. Phillip was going to blow up, big. He had offers from all over the world."

"What exactly did he do?" Clark asked.

"He studied alien DNA."

Clark cleared his throat. "Ummm, alien?"

Donna waved it away, smiling sadly, "Oh, not that kind of alien. Mutant. You know, the meteorite frea…..No. Politically correctively, the meteorite affected people."

"And how exactly did he know about this?" Bart asked.

"Tina Greer," Donna said, "He studied her. I believe you met her?" She said, pointing to Clark.

Clark nodded remembering, "Yes. I remember Tina."  
"And also, ummm, Alicia…"

"Baker?" Clark asked coldly.

"Yes, that's it…Baker. How exactly did you know about her?"

"I just did." Clark shrugged.

Donna knows not to push the subject. "O.k."

"So…what did he do with them?" Bart asked.

"Oh, just studied their DNA. To see how the rock had affected them."

"Did he find anything?" Clark asked.

"I don't know. If he had, he wouldn't have told me."

"Why not?" Lois asked.

"It was really top-secret stuff," Donna said, "I believe it was involved with the military."  
"The military?" Bart whistled.

"Wow." Lois said.

Clark shook his head confused. "What would the military have to do with Phillip Rafferty?"  
"I don't know." Donna replied.

"He must have slipped somehow," Lois said, "How long were you married?"

"About 10 years." Donna said.

Bart whistled again.

"He must have let something slip," Clark said, "Please, try to remember. We need all the help we can get, Ms. Rafferty."

"You can just call me Donna," she said.

"Donna," Clark said, "Please, he has one of our friends."  
"My cousin." Lois said.

"My girl…" Bart saw the look on Lois's face, "My friend."

Donna sighed. "Well…I think I remember something…but it's not coming to memory right now."  
"Wait," Lois said, "I'm confused."

"About what?" Donna asked.

"Why were you at Eddie's place?"

"Eddie?" Donna asked confused.

"Big Eddie?" Lois said, waving her hands around.

"Oh, Eduardo?" Donna asked sadly, "He was one of my leads."  
"Leads?" Clark asked.

"Yes," she said, "leads."

"What do you need leads for?" Lois asked.

"I've been investigating my husband."

"You've been what!" Clark asked, shocked.

"You heard me. I've been investigating my husband."

"But why?" Lois asked puzzled.

"You're not the only one trying to stop him, Lois." She said.

"What? What were you trying to stop him from doing?" Bart asked.

"I thought he was doing something illegal." She said.

"Why?" Clark asked.

"Well…he got home late, really late. The earliest he ever got home was 3:00 in the morning, and that was only on one or two occasions. And he got a private line. We'd never had a private line. His motto was: Anything I can know, my wife can know. But that all changed about five years after the marriage. He started going out, a lot, and he had this little private study built. He got a security system built in. I never even saw the interior. He was always so private. Locked himself in that damned room for 16 hours a day."

"That is a little suspicious," Lois admitted, "But it doesn't prove anything."

"Not only that," Donna said, "But whenever he went out at night, he changed his license plate, in to some fake one. I asked once about it and he moved out for 2 weeks. Never asked a question about his work again. And strange men used to visit, in the evening, and he'd take them in to his study and they wouldn't come out for hours. He didn't even allow the help inside."

"Why didn't you ever go to the police?" Bart asked.

"I don't know. It's not something I'm proud about."

"What about the men, did you know anything about them?"

"Uhh, uh." She shook her head.

"Why not?" Clark asked.

"These weren't your average Joes. Big guys, tall, bad-looking suckers. I wouldn't touch them with a 10 ft. pole. Phillip, I was so afraid for him, so afraid that they'd hurt him, injure him permanently. I was always afraid, I couldn't sleep, I always watched the news, afraid that they'd find a body on the news."  
"It must have been nerve-wracking." Lois said.

"It was." Donna replied, nodding.

"So, why are you here?" Bart asked.

"I'm trying to get away."

"From whom?" Clark said.

"Lionel Luthor." Donna said.

Clark almost dropped his glass. "Lionel Luthor?"

"Yes."

"But why?" Bart asked.

"I don't know." Donna admitted.

"You don't know?" Lois asked, "that's one I've never heard."

Clark made a disapproving face at her and turned back to Donna. "What are you talking about?"  
"Well, I kind of walked in to a meeting between Lionel Luthor and my husband."

"You don't kind of walk in to Lionel Luthor's meetings." Bart said.

"I snuck in."

"How did you sneak in. Lionel Luthor has some of the best security people in the country." Clark said.

"I knew some of the people." She said.

Lois nodded. "That could have been a big mistake on their part."

"It is," Donna said, "they're dead."

"Dead? How did Lionel know?" Bart asked.

"Surveillance cameras," Donna observed, "I should have known."

Clark shook his head. "You can't blame yourself."

"I try not to." Donna said.

"How did Lionel find out you were there?" Lois asked.

"Surveillance cameras again." Donna said.

"Wait a minute," Bart said, "You said only Lionel is after you. What about your husband? Isn't he after you?"

"No." Donna said, shaking her head. "After I headed away to Florida; we lived in L.A. at the time; I called him. Told him what I saw and heard. He said he loved me, no matter what, and I should just disappear. That was 2 years ago. He wouldn't hurt me."

"So you've been running away from Lionel for 2 years."

"It's been hectic." Donna said.

"I can only imagine," Clark said, "I've had some pretty bad experiences with Lionel Luthor myself."

Lois snorted. "From what I've heard, so has everybody."

"Where have you been?" Bart asked.

"All over the world. Asia, Europe, Africa."

"So hectic was just an understatement." Clark said.

"Yes it has," Donna sighed, exhausted.

"So, what did you hear at the meeting?" Lois asked.

"All I know was they were going to Smallville a lot. It had something to do with the meteorite…umm…people. I think they were taking them away from Smallville."

"Oh we know that." Bart said.

"How?" Donna asked.

Clark grabbed Bart's arm a little harder than he wanted to.

"Oh!" Bart groaned out in pain, rubbing his arm.

"You can't tell her we have powers." Clark whispered.

Bart shook his head. "You didn't have to grab me that hard."

"What were you saying?" Donna asked.

"Oh, nothing." Bart said, still rubbing his arm.

* * *

"So, the subjects just magically disappeared!" Lionel shouted. He rarely lost his cool, but when he did, he exploded with a fiery rage. 

"Yes." Phillip said coolly. His sipped calmly at his glass of scotch.

"Look, Phillip," Lionel said, trying to regain his calm, "We've known each other for a long time."

"Yes," Phillip said, "12 years."  
"And it has been a long, fruitful friendship, hasn't it?" Lionel asked.

"Friendship? No, more like a partnership."

Lionel chuckled. "Ahh, very well, a partnership if you will. Should all that time really be put to waste by some….trick?"

"This isn't a trick, Lionel, I don't know where the prisoners are."

"My patience is drawing to an end. You're forcing me to make some very hard decisions, Phillip. Decisions I really don't want to make. Decisions both of us wouldn't want me to make."

"Is that a threat?" Phillip asked, sitting up in the swivel chair. They were sitting in his office. Two of Lionel's bodyguard stood behind The older Luthor.

Lionel smiled, "Take it as whatever you want." He stared out of the window at the night moon.

"I really do not appreciate threats." Phillip said sternly.

"I really don't like giving them." Lionel replied, even more sternly.

"Then don't."  
"Phillip, make this easy on yourself. Don't make me do anything I'll regret."

Phillip stood up and pointed to the door. "You know your way out."

Lionel nodded. "Very well." He stood up and made his way out. His bodyguards followed him and closed the door behind him. They both turned around and glared at Phillip.

"Big, big mistake." One said. He was white, 6ft. 5 inches and 220 pounds. His frame was lean and very muscular. His hair was short and black with long curly strands. His eyes were cold and black and his face was a dark complexion with big lips.

"Now you have to deal with us." The other one was black. He was 6 ft. 6 inches and 260 pounds. He was bald and his face was long and lean with frightening hazel eyes. His beard was long with tiny strands of gray and his moustache was long and bushy reaching in to his nostrils.

"I welcome the challenge." Phillip said, sitting down calmly.

Tommy, the white one, and Sid, the black one walked up to the desk.

"Sass all you want now," Tommy said, "You're definitely going to regret it, isn't he Sid?" He put an arm around Sid.

"Damn straight." Sid said, cracking his knuckles.

Tommy took his arm off Sid's shoulders. He grabbed Phillip's desk and hefted it up. He tossed it aside and it smashed in to the wall, making a hole through it and easily breaking the table in half.

"That was a very expensive table there." Phillip said.

"The table is the least of your worries." Sid said.

"Oh, it is?"

Sid snarled, "You just keep on talking. That'll make it all the more satisfying."

"Do something." Phillip said.

"Oh, we will." Tommy shouted, jumping at Phillip.

Phillip easily dodged the blow, jumping out of the chair. Tommy stumbled and almost fell. He turned to Phillip angrily.

Phillip smiled, "Oh, did you miss?"  
Tommy hollered angrily and swung at Phillip.

Phillip ducked and this time hammered Tommy in the stomach. Tommy flew back in to the wall, making a hole through it. Phillip sped up towards him and carried him out of the wall. He flung it in to a nearby book case. Tommy smacked in to it and it broke in half.

"Ahhh!" Tommy hollered in pain, clutching his broken ribs.

"Son of a bitch!" Sid shouted. He swung at Phillip.

Phillip caught the fist and broke it.

Sid hollered. Phillip carried him up and flung him in to the wall that the desk had been thrown in to. He bounced off the desk's edge and on to back in to the room, bouncing on the floor. His mouth slammed in to the ground so that some of his teeth broke and flew out of his bleeding mouth.

Tommy was beginning to stand up. "You're fucking dead!" He screamed at Phillip. He drew a Magnum from his pocket and pointed it at Phillip. Before he squeezed the trigger, Phillip zipped up behind him and punched him in the back. Tommy flew forward, (the gun was gone) and out of the glass. The glass broke easily, Tommy through it, and he dropped towards the ground, bouncing off the fire escape and landing in a roof of a car. The car's roof was crushed with his weight and debris flew around the street. He was obviously dead.

Sid groaned. Phillip zipped up to him and grabbed him in a headlock. With one quick squeeze, he easily crushed Sid's neck and spine bones. Sid's eyes rolled back and he gagged, spittle flying out of his mouth. He was dead in less than 2 seconds.

Phillip dropped the body and wiped his hands on his pant legs. "All done." He said.

Lionel walked in to the office. "Not bad." He said simply. He walked to Sid's body and bent. He reached in to the man's coat pocket and removed a bug.

"How did you know Lex had contacted him?" Phillip asked.

"I keep surveillance on all of my men." Lionel said simply.

"What about the other one."

Lionel shrugged. "He's expandable. My men will be here in 20 minutes to get the bodies."

"What do we do about Lex?"

Lionel's eyes turned cold. "He's not quite as expandable."  
Phillip was quite for a moment, then he nodded. "I took care of Eduardo."

"Of course you did." Lionel said, "I knew you would. Now about the subjects?"

"We've retrieved the scientists from jail. We'll be ready in 3 days."

"Keep my name out of this." Lionel said.

"It's already out of this."

"Good."

"Now," Phillip said, "What to do about Clark Kent?"

"We need to dissuade him in some way."

"I'm sure you have a plan."

"I do." Lionel said.

"So, what do you suggest we do?"

"Warn him off."

"But how? He could be very damaging to our operations."

"We strike him where it hurts the most."

"And how do you suggest we do that?"

"His parents."

* * *

**_

* * *

_**

**_AUTHOR'S NOTE: Why don't people review? This is so damned frustrating._**

* * *


	26. REPOSSESSION

**_She_** was tired, oh so tired. After over a week of watching him each and every day, 24/7, she desperately wished she could go home. Martha rubbed her eyes and sipped out of a cup of STARBUCK's coffee a kind nurse had been generous enough to bring her. She'd lost about 7 pounds since she'd been here. The food wasn't terrible, she just didn't feel like eating or anything.

"Martha?"

Martha turned towards the voice and smiled. It was Janet, one of the nearby patient's relatives who came every day to bring her sick grandson some home cooking. She really lived in New Jersey, but she'd been here since the boy had gotten in a car accident.

"Hey, Janet." Martha smiled weakly at the older woman.

Janet grimaced and stared at the bruises on Jonathon's face. "Is he doing o.k.? He looks a little worse since yesterday." Motherly concern was written all over her face. She was 62, but looked ten years younger. She was just a little shorter than Martha, with full blonde hair that reached past her neck. Her face was tanned and sweet, with piercing green eyes and she had a quite lean and slender figure for her age. They had met in the cafeteria only a couple of days before.

"He's doing just fine," Martha said, shrugging, "At least that's what the doctor said."

Janet studied her newfound friend. Martha seemed paler than yesterday, and she had obviously lost a lot of weight, taking the color out of her smile. "You're not looking very well."

Martha sighed. "I know, but I can't help worrying about Jonathon."

Janet put a supporting hand on her shoulder. "You want to go down for lunch? I hear they're having fried chicken and mashed potatoes. Not even a hospital can mess up a good old southern meal."

Martha smiled, now noticing how hungry she was. "Sure, why not?"

They walked down the stairs and headed for the cafeteria, talking about the weather outside. Martha hadn't set a foot outside of the hospital since Jonathon's injury and she just nodded most of the time.

The cafeteria was nearly empty so they bought their food in no time and sat down at their own little spot. Janet dug in, and Martha tasted the spicy chicken. It wasn't half bad, though she proudly acknowledged she could make much better.

"How's Brad doing?" She asked.

Janet grinned now, her face lighting up when she talked about her grandson. "He's doing just great. The doctor said he'll be out of here in a week or two. He'll have to use a wheel chair for a little while. After a month, he'll be using crutches. Then a month after that, he'll be walking again."

"That's great." Martha said truthfully. The kid was sweet and bright, talkative and they played scrabble whenever she went with Janet to his room.

"Yeah," Janet said, the smile fading. "But the doctor said he'll never be able to play football again."

Martha sighed. "I'm sorry, Janet."

Janet wiped her eyes. "I must seem so ungrateful."

Martha shook her head. "Not at all."

"Well, at least he'll be able to walk again."

"That may be more than I can say for Jonathon." Martha muttered.

Janet grimaced. "Don't say that, Martha, Jonathon will be alright."

"I sure hope so," She sighed again.

* * *

They sat in the Loft, sipping glasses of milk and thinking to themselves. Bart sat on the couch, hunched over, chewing on his tongue. Clark stood at the window, staring out at the farm. 

"Dammit," Bart suddenly yelled, "It's killing me."

"Calm down, Bart." Clark said, rubbing a knuckle underneath his chin, "We're all worried about Chloe."

"This is all my fault, I got her in to his. If it wasn't for me…."

"This isn't really the time to play the blame game."

"His right, you know," Donna said, just walking in. They both turned towards her, watching as she held a coffee mug with steam drifting out. Clark cleared his throat and noticed that she was staring at but he and Bart weirdly. She had been doing this for the past few hours. Bart notice it too.

"Where's Lois?" He asked.

"Oh, she went for a drive."

"Is there any reason why we can't take this to the police?" Clark asked.

"Yes, because they'd thoroughly investigate every aspect of the case," Donna said, staring pointedly at Bart.

Bart swallowed uncomfortably. "So why is that a bad thing?"

"We both know why." Donna now turned to Clark, studying him thoroughly.

"You've been acting really strangely," He said, "Is anything wrong?"

"Why don't we stop playing these games," Donna said, "You're one of them, Clark. I know this for a fact."

Clark almost choked. He swallowed nervously. "One of who?"

"The Meteor freaks. I know, Clark, there's no use in pretending."

"Is this some kind of joke?" Bart asked angrily, "Because it's not funny!"

"You're on of them too, Bart, I know. Just please, I won't tell Lois or anything. I saw you super speed in Eddie's office." She admitted.

"But how?" Bart asked, confused.

Clark said a profanity under his breath, then he looked up knowingly. "Surveillance cameras."

"How did you get access to his surveillance cameras?"

"I paid one of his aides, $300 for a check now and then. I suspected that he had some business deals with Eduardo. Fat Eddie is his own little business mogul in Metropolis. He knows everybody who's worth knowing and everybody knows him. All of his lucrative business make up about 7 of Metropolis. The Luthors make up about 25, so Eddie was living large."

"What was he doing in that dump, then?"

"One of his many warehouses. Eddie doesn't mind going to war, he's a real hothead. Some say his brave. But most know that he'll battle anybody as long as he doesn't retain any scars."

Clark rolled his eyes. "So he uses his foot soldiers."

She nodded. "Selfish bastard. He'll let anyone die just for his reputation. I knew so many kids with talent who worked for him. Now most of them are dead."

Clark was silent, "Where do we go from here?"

She shrugged and reached in to her jeans pockets and drew out a lighter and a cigarette. She notices Clark's eyes narrowing at the sight of the cigarette and smiled at him, "Nasty habit, I know, I developed it after I left Phillip."

Bart yawned and sat down heavily on the couch. "What do we do now?"

"I'm still trying to figure it out myself. We need to find a way to both stop Phillip and bring that little girlfriend of yours back home."

Clark asked, "Where's Lois?"

She shrugged again, "Said she needed to go for a little drive or something. Hellion that one. She'll kill anyone to get her cousin back."

"Well, that's Lois." Clark said, rolling his eyes.

"Do you have any idea where he might be keeping her?" Bart asked desperately, "Anything?"

She grimaced and shrugged, "There are a few locations I've been trying to get a hold of. There's this one in Paris. About 3 generations ago, Phillip's family lived there. I believe there's a research facility there."

"We could just run there and investigate." Bart said awkwardly.

"Bart!" Clark scolded him.

"She already knows, anyway." Bart replied hotly.

"How did you two get your….abilities?" Donna asked, puffing on the **Camel **and watching them intently.

Bart averted his eyes. "There was an accident. There was this blinding light. I don't remember that much about what happened. I was with my parents. We were in this lab, witnessing a demonstration. We were in the front row, it was amazing. Then, something exploded. My parents were thrown back, but I had been leaning forward or something got caught in my clothes so I flew forward, right in to the light. That's what I remember."

"So," she said, walking around him, "Is super speeding the only thing you can do?"

He smiled weakly, "You make it sound like a bad thing."

She dropped the cigarette and stomped on it. "No, actually, it seems kind of cool if I may say so myself."

"It's not that cool when you're different." Clark said.

"Why?" Donna asked, puzzled, "What wrong with being different?"

"Everything," Clark said, "Knowing I'm not the same as everyone else, having to keep my true identity a secret. Afraid that one day, I'll have to go back."

"Go back where?" Donna asked.

Clark stumbled over his words, he hadn't meant to reveal so much, "I'm, I don't know, it just…..kinda slipped out."  
But she had gotten something and wasn't about to let it go. "Tell me, Clark, go back to where?"  
Bart piped in, "It's a sour subject, he doesn't like to talk about it."

"Were you in some kind of lab?" She asked, with a horrified expression, "Like something Phillip had. You don't want to go back?"

Clark would have laughed if he wasn't so mad at himself. No, not a lab. More like another planet that he would never see again.

"Can we not talk about this?" He said.

She shrugged again, still curious, but willing to let it go. "Whatever."

There was an awkward silence in the room.

"What about you?" She asked, "How'd you get your powers?"

She saw his eyes widen briefly before he replied nonchalantly, "Just like everybody else, in the meteor shower."

She didn't believe him, but decided to let it go. "What else can you do, you know, besides super speed?"

"Um, that's it." He lied, not wanting to reveal too much. Then he remembered what he'd done to Eddie back there. "And super strength."

"Hmmmm," She smiled, "I thought you'd lie to me about the strength. I saw it on the surveillance video too. How much, exactly can you lift?"

He felt uncomfortable. "I don't know….a lot?"

She smiled. "You don't flaunt your powers a lot. Anybody else would. Why don't you rule this city. Why don't you use your abilities to give yourself an advantage?"

"Because it wouldn't be right." He said obviously.

"That wouldn't stop most people."

"Are you by any chance talking about the Luthors?" Bart asked.

Donna nodded, her eyes darkening, "Dirty bastards." She snarled harshly. "That son of a bitch Lionel ruined my life. If it wasn't for him, Phillip would still be with me.

"Lionel might have pushed him in the wrong path, but you can't change who a person is. If he is this way now, that's the way he's always been. Maybe you just didn't notice it." Clark said.

She glared at him for a minute. Then she relaxed. "You don't know him like I do. Nobody knows him like I do. He was the sweetest, smartest man in the world. If you've seen him, you'll know I didn't marry him for looks." She smiled to herself. "I met him in the college. He was a geek back then. Things don't change, huh? I was a cheerleader and he was a social outcast. I guess opposites really do attract."

They were interrupted by the purr of an engine. They all turned to see The SUV approaching, with Lois inside, it fingers thumping on her steering wheel. Clark was surprised to hear her saying a prayer from inside the car. He almost told Bart, but remembered that Donna was already suspicious.

"Don't worry," Donna winked at them, "Your secret is mine to keep. I guess we'll be continuing this conversation later." And with that, she walked out of the loft, whistling to herself.

"You think she'll tell Lois?" Bart asked.

"I don't know," Clark said, "But we'll have to watch her real carefully."

"I don't know, Clark, but I think I trust her."  
"I think I trust her too," Clark admitted, "but we can never let our guard down. If we do, she'll probably leave us for the slaughter."

* * *

Jimmy "Slim Jim" Thornton flipped his cell phone shut and turned to his accomplice, smiling. "Boss says we can move in and get her. I'll make that stupid bitch sorry for the way they treated me after they left the lab." 

They turned to the house that stood before them, where one of their victims now lived. They were part of a group of henchmen sent around North America to retrieve the hostages that the two freaks had rescued from the labs. This time, they'd be much better guarded. And they'd finish their experiments much more quickly so they'd eliminate them and bury their sorry asses. Mary, one of the hostages who had escaped, lived inside the house. Jim was going to make sure she paid for hitting him that day. The cops had been easy to bribe. Lionel Luthor had many connections. Now it was back to business. It was time to regain their property.

"And Janet?" Benny, the accomplice asked, "And the Kent woman?"  
"Janet said she's getting closer to her, and very soon, she'll get an opening, and when she does, we'll be there to take the Kent kid's parents. Boss says not to kill them until he says. Just hurt them, very, very badly."

* * *

**_AUTHOR'S NOTE: I HAVE DECIDED TO CONTINUE WITH THIS STORY BECAUSE OF SOME MAIL I HAVE RECEIVED FROM SOME OF THE READERS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT, AND HERE IS THE 26TH CHAPTER. I AM A LITTLE RAW SINCE I HAVEN'T WRITTEN IN A WHILE AND I APOLOGIZE FOR THE FEW WHO HAVE AWAITED THIS CHAPTER. THANK YOU, ENJOY._**


	27. ALLIANCE

**Police **Chief Randy Jamal Lewis sat back in his swivel chair and smoked on his 'Black and Mild' brand cigarette. He cleared his throat lightly and looked at the man sitting across from him. Phillip Rafferty was by no means a physically imposing man, even less to a man like Chief Lewis.

Lewis was about 6 ft. 2, an aging yet still athletic figure with salt and pepper hair that reached just below his neck. His face was slightly wrinkled, with small wise eyes that squinted behind his glasses. At hearing Rafferty's offer, his hands were almost shaking as he thought about the money he was about to get off this deal.

He turned to the picture on his desk. A petite figured girl with honey colored hair and eyes that were exactly like his plus a slightly pointed nose. She was not a conventional beauty, but to him she was the most beautiful thing in the world. His daughter, his little girl. This deal would mean she'd be able to go to an Ivy league college instead of the piece of shit community college he was going to send her too.

"Do we have a deal?" Rafferty asked, bored with this inferior human who thought he was somehow smarter than everybody around him. Rafferty knew that he himself was a cocky individual, but when he saw it in others around him he was more repulsed that he was impressed.

"You have to promise to keep my name out of this," Lewis said, blowing out smoke. Rafferty waved it away, now a little aggravate. He'd love nothing more than to just jump across this insignificant mortal's desk and snap his neck like a twig.

"Your name will not be in this. If nothing else I can assure you that." Rafferty looked outside of the window that was only a few ft. away from him. Out there, people thought Chief Lewis was the hope of Smallville. If only they knew that he was practically selling their children.

"And what about the newborns?" Lewis asked, concerned. "What will become of them? You have to promise me you won't hurt them. If you do, I'll kill you myself."

Rafferty glared across the desk. "Listen, I understand your concern, really I do. But the next time you threaten me, I'll kill you. You really don't understand what's going on, do you?"

Lewis shrugged. He was far from terrified at this little man sitting across from him. "Enlighten me, Mr. Rafferty."

"You don't understand my kind of power," Rafferty started, "You don't understand that I can kill you at any time. I don't need to come here. With our without your help this is going to happen. I'm only doing it this way because it saves me a bit more trouble and you're going to be greatly financed for this."

"This is my goddamn town!" Lewis hollered, bringing his fist down in to his desk. The pictured frame bounced up and and off the desk. It flipped in mid air and headed towards the ground. Phillip reached out and grabbed it with his lightning quick reflexes.

Lewis's eyes widened, "Holy shit!"

Phillip smiled and ran a finger across the frame. "Who is this beautiful young lady?"

"How the hell did you do that?"

Phillip appeared behind him.

"What the-?" Lewis dove out of his desk, terrified. "What the fuck are you? Some sort of meteor freak? Get away from me!"

Rafferty approached him slowly. He easily lifted the man and shoved him against the wall.

"Oh, shit! You sonfabitch! I swear I'll..."

"Do what?" Rafferty grabbed Lewis in a choke hold and squeezed lightly. Lewis grabbed at his attacker's hands and desperately tried to force them off his neck. Someone knocked on the locked door. It was his secretary Mya.

"Is something wrong, Mr. Lewis?" She asked, concerned. He was turning red and beginning to gurgle.

"One word and you're dead." Phillip said, sliding his finger across Lewis's neck in a threatening gesture. Lewis nodded, eyes wide with shock. "Tell her you're ok." Rafferty ordered. He released Lewis. Lewis breathed hard, desperately trying to regain his breath.

Mya knocked at the door. "Are you o.k., sir?"

Lewis bended over and coughed rapidly. He straightened up, "Yes, Mya, I'm ok."

"Why are you breathing so hard?" Mya asked.

"I was just jogging around the office." He lied.

"Is Mr. Rafferty still in there with you?"

Lewis turned to Phillip with a questioning look in his eyes. Rafferty shook his head. Lewis turned towards the door. "No, he left hours ago."

"Alright," Mya said. She was about to leave then turned back, "I'm going to Popeye's to get something to eat. You want some chicken and biscuits?"

"Nah," Lewis said, "I just had lunch."

"Ok?" She said weirdly. He usually would never have said no to some southern spicy chicken and the delicious buttermilk cookies. "I'll be back in an hour!" She called towards him.

"Alright." He said. When they were sure she was gone, Rafferty glared at Lewis and shoved him to the ground.

"What's it going to be?" He asked, standing over the man. He grabbed the frame of the little girl off the desk and held it in his hands. He smiled. "Either you take the deal and all goes well…." His face turned in to a scowl, "Or I kill the ugly little bitch in this picture."

"You sonfa…" Lewis stopped as Rafferty put a foot on his neck and stepped forward lightly. His face turned red and he desperately tried to push the smaller man's foot off. "OK! OK!" He hollered. Rafferty smiled down and pulled Lewis up. Lewis had his hands on his knees breathing hard. Rafferty walked towards the door and opened it.

"Bye, friend." He said, and zipped away.

**

* * *

**

**She** was watching him, 24/7. It almost made Clark uncomfortable even to be around her. There was a lot of stress going on in his life, and he really couldn't deal with it. Especially with Chloe missing, everything just seemed so messed up. He just wanted to scream or smash something, but he knew if he got angry the repercussions would be terrifying.

He and Bart had been looking for anybody who knew anything about Phillip Rafferty. After searching her memory desperately, Donna had remembered somebody, a Steven Jurevicius who lived in Gotham. She remembered his address, telling them that he and Rafferty had been close friends and they had on quite a few occasions been to the Jurevicius house. A couple of minutes later, Clark and Bart were in Gotham.

Not wanting to be caught in speed mode, when they were in the general vicinity of Jurevicius's house they started walking at a normal pace. What Clark saw almost disgusted him. It was a slum. There were beggars all around them and Clark gave a couple of dollars to a rail thin teen with ripped jeans and a Grateful Dead T-Shirt who looked like he could use a few extra meals.

Clark was so caught up with all the thing around him that he almost got hit by a truck that said WAYNE ENTERPRISES on the side. The driver, a bearded Israeli looking man flipped Clark the bird and hollered, "Watch where you're going you piece of shit kids!"

Bart rolled his eyes, "The hospitality of Gotham city is unparallel by any other city in the world."

"Ain't that the truth." Clark said and they continued on.

"Hey, Bart!" A girl stepped out in front of them. She was about 11 or 12, maybe 3 years younger than Bart.

Bart's eyes lit up, "Mia!" He said and they hugged. Clark watched the embrace from afar. Bart drew back, "How've you been?"

"So, so." She said, shrugging.

"How's business?" He joked.

She rolled her eyes. Clark cleared his throat.

"Oh, yeah," Bart said, he gestured to Mia, "Clark Kent, meet Mia Dearden."

Clark smiled at her. "Hi." They shook hands.

"Mia!" Called a man standing a couple of yards away wearing Capri pants and a polo shirt, "What the hell are you doing!"

Mia shrugged. "Well, guys, I gotta get going." She waved at Bart. "See you later Bartie."

They hugged again and she ran towards the man.

"Who's that, her dad?" Asked Clark.

Bart was silent for a moment. Then he said quietly, "No, that's her pimp." He walked ahead.

Clark's eyes widened in recognition. Wow, he mouthed to himself and followed his friend. He was about to speak, but Bart halted him with, "I don't want to talk about that. That's Mia's business and Mia's business alone. Please respect that, will you?"

Clark nodded. "Yeah, sure."

They walked in silence for a little while.

"Where are we?" Bart asked after about 10 minutes of walking.

Clark reached in to his jeans jacket pocket and retrieved the piece of paper Donna had written down with Jurevicius's name and address on it. Clark looked up at some street signs, but he didn't see anything that was on the paper. He looked around and saw a short, chubby black teenager wearing a Phat Farm dress shirt with Sean John Jeans and all white sneakers.

"Hey, do you happen to know where Turban street is?"

"Who are you?" The teen glared insolently at the two white boys accosting him and his neighborhood.

"Look, we're not looking for any problems, man." Bart said. "We were just wondering if you knew where this street was."

"I might." The teen said, holding out his hand expectantly.

Bart rolled his eyes and muttered something about Gotham City and it's inhabitants. He pulled out his wallet and slipped out a ten dollar bill. The teen held the bill up to the light and snapped it a few times to check it authenticity. Then he smiled. "Now that's my kind of guy." He clapped Bart on the back and started giving them directions.

* * *

Janet entered the room silently. She was now sure Martha was in the bathroom. There was Jonathon, snoring on the bed. She removed the blonde wig she was wearing and the makeup and everything to reveal not only a brunette but a woman who was at least 18 years younger than 'Janet.' She'd need all the blame to be put on the fictional older woman's shoulders. She pushed her hand through Jonathon's hair for a second and he snorted. She smiled, if she'd been a few years younger he might have been the kind of man she'd like to date. 

"Oh well." She muttered drawing the knife out of her bag. She raised it over her head and brought it down in an arch over her head with force, with a mute battle cry etched on her face she plunged the knife downwards towards his forehead and closed her eyes.

* * *

_**HEY GUYS, HAVEN'T WRITTEN IN A WHILE. PROBABLY ONLY DIEHARD FANS WILL REMEMBER WHO THE PROSTITUTE WAS IN THE COMICS. IT MIGHT SURPRISE YOU. THANKS IF YOU'RE READING. PLEASE REVIEW!**_


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